Wednesday, Oui? Hakuna Matata

Sometime last year The Lion King came to Boston for a limited time tour. I REALLY wanted to see it, as I have wanted to see that particular show for a few years now. For one reason or another we missed the opportunity and I was pretty disappointed. So, being the brat I am, I decided we were going to see it in New York City! (As an aside, Mary Poppins is coming to Boston in February- I barely even had to ask Aaron if I could buy tickets- I think he realized how expensive it is to go to NYC as opposed to just sucking up $150 tickets in Boston, hehehe.)

New York City at Christmastime has to be one of the prettiest, most festive places to be in the month of December. From the ice skating and tree at Rockefeller Center, to all the stores decked out for the holidays, any Grinch's heart is guaranteed to grow a few sizes. It really was a great time.

We went with two of our very best friends, Nickie and Jay. We drove, which went better than expected-- probably because I didn't drive, and we were there before we knew it... (the way home was another story!) We arrived pretty late on Friday night; mostly because we had to stop in Boston to drop Bing and Manny off at their Uncle Matt and Uncle Nelson's house (they were babysitting for the weekend.) We were pretty tired from the drive so we managed to find a grocery store to get some snacks but, had to rely on the hotel "gift shop" for beer, which was almost as expensive as the drive up, LOL.

We stayed just outside of the city in NJ because Nickie and I were paranoid about bed bugs. Although I try to avoid hotel chains at all costs (I LOVE B&B's) I usually only stay at Hampton Inn if I have to do a large chain. After a HUGE breakfast we took a bus to the city and began our day of shopping, exploring and navigating through thick crowds.

We tried to eat here because they had coconut shrimp but, the line was over 3 hours!

With how busy I've been lately, this sign totally sums me up!

The TREE! It was much more amazing in person.

We had a DELICIOUS lunch at an Irish (of course) pub.

Central Park, Baby!

I must admit, I am a homebody. As beautiful as Times Square was, it was really overwhelming. Between the people and the lights (it was SO bright) I was a bit over-stimulated and was really looking forward to getting to the Minskoff Theatre to get off my feet and see The Lion King.

But, not without first snagging one perfect picture.

The show was amazing. I'm really glad I held out for NYC. Not only did I see a show I've been dreaming of in one of the most famous theater districts in the world, we went with two of our very best friends. I am completely guilty of bursting into tears the minute the curtain opened!

After a long day of walking the city, we took the bus back to our hotel; arriving close to midnight. We looked over our purchases and then hit the hay- we had a long day of driving ahead of us and we were planning to stop at Ikea in Connecticut........

.....which Nickie and I were excited about. I question how genuine Jay's smile was. If I had to guess, I'd say Ikea wasn't nearly as exciting for Jay and Aaron as it was for Nic and I.

Top Ten Two-Thousand-Ten

For my last Top Ten Tuesday of this year, I'm going to post my ten favorite pictures from 2010 (if I can possibly narrow it!)

Even though my underwear is showing... this was SUCH a good day!

Steph and I go way back... WAY back (and she had Alex in her tummy!)

While the tree falling postponed Alaska (and babies), it totaled Aaron's Honda, damaged our siding and wrecked our yard, it was a blessing in disguise because it forced us to landscape and build a new shed. While the yard is still a work in progress, it's much more beautiful now.

Happy 88th!

Every year Aaron and I go back to the waterfall where he proposed to me.

This was a REALLY good day.

Welcome Baby Sarah!

Times Square (You don't know about this trip yet!)

Family picture with Shamus!

Top Ten Tuesday: November in Review

To catch up a little more quickly, today's Top Ten Tuesday will highlight several events that took place in November. The eleventh month was a pretty good month for the Molloy household-- I, for one, only worked 17 days out of a 30 day month; not too shabby!

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Veteran's Day was devoted to Boston. We spent a brisk fall day at the New England Aquarium, Quincy Market, went downtown to watch the Veteran's Day parade, and topped off a perfect day at The Cheesecake Factory!

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Later in the month, Hilary and I traveled to my old stomping grounds (Seacoast of NH area). After a nice breakfast with my dear friend, Amy, we did some "Christmas shopping" at Calef's and The Christmas Dove! We spent way too much money on things we really didn't need (we were supposed to be "Christmas shopping".) But, it was a great day with two of my favorite girls!

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The Monday before Thanksgiving is ALWAYS the annual "turkey run". To an outsider of my family this means it's the day I travel to Portland to meet my mom & sister to have lunch with Pepe. This is also when my mother gifts us a farm fresh turkey for Thanksgiving!

This was Sarah's first annual turkey run!

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For the "real" Turkey day, Aaron's family joined us for a feast! We all chipped in and made a few delectable dishes- AND we ate way too much; we almost ate Shamus too! Doesn't he look delicious?

Matt & I waited for the tryptophan to wear off before we dove into the desserts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Lastly (but certainly not least) November wrapped up with a celebration for Bing's 6th Birthday! We love you!

So there you have it, the Reader's Digest version of an action packed month. Hopefully December won't slip away before I have time to properly document another amazing month!

Rationalization 101

Finally, in the foreseeable future, I'll have more time to blog. You have to admit, I have been better lately- just not in the past two weeks. The last day of my school semester was Thursday so that will free up about 10 hours of my week. You should be hearing more from me. Further, I received a scathing email yesterday from one of my best friends simply saying "I'm sick of AIDS" so I figured I had better get cracking. Steph, my dearest, this one's for you- you know I love ya!

I have much to post about and catch up on, starting with Thanksgiving and our trip to NYC but, I won't go there just yet. I have to warm up a little; oil and fine tune this literary machine. So, I'll start with a funny yet "heartwarming" story, LOL.

As you well know, I love jewelry. I can live without fancy purses (for the most part), I don't own hundreds of pairs of shoes or jeans, I don't even have a fancy "app'd out" phone. My weakness falls with baubles; I love jewelry. Not only do I love all types of jewels, I like REAL jewelry-- precious metals, real stones, and clear beautiful diamonds. I know, it's shallow but, it's one of my only vices so cut me some slack.

That said, another vice I have is that I'm also a gift horse. It drives Aaron nuts. As of last month, I officially owned: a whale, a star, a loon, a polar bear, 3 trees in a national forest and I'm a member of: The ASPCA, The American Cancer Society, The Arbor Day Foundation, Greenpeace, The Sierra Club and The NRDC (National Resource Defense Council). Is that all? I hope so (for the sake of Aaron's blood-pressure).

In my recent newsletter from the NRDC there was an article about Pebble Mine, a massive proposed copper and gold mine set for ravage at the headwaters of Bristol Bay’s wild salmon fishery (in Alaska of all places! My Achilles heel!!) The NRDC is charging that "protecting the wild salmon fishery that sustains Alaska and its people – and provides food security for the entire country" is an essential environmental commitment and we hold the responsibility of its protection. Pebble Mine would be "a 2,000-foot-deep, two-mile-long behemoth that would despoil the pristine Bristol Bay watershed."

That said, environmentalists and large corporations including jewelers "Tiffany, Zales, and 30 other jewelers, representing $6 billion in annual sales, have pledged not to buy 'dirty' gold from Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine." Well now, that just warms my heart.

My favorite store is Zales and rarely do I buy jewelry from any other retailer. My love affair with Zales started in early 2000 when Zales pledged to use only conflict free (not "blood") diamonds. Then Zales suspended sales of Tanzanite after the discovery of child mining slaves and, now this. Awe, Zales, you shouldn't have.

So last week, to show my support, I went online and purchased a "conflict free diamond" necklace set in white gold from a mine that's not Pebble Mine. Moral of the story: one can show their support to environmental causes and give to charity in various ways... at least that's how I tried to rationalize my purchase to Aaron who wasn't so amused.

World AIDS Day 2010

As part of the curriculum of the intensive outpatient group I run, every six weeks I educate my adolescents about sexually transmitted infections; both bacterial and viral. Coincidentally, the week of sexual health falls this week and today I'll be educating my kids about HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis-C. While there is a lot of information "out there" about this virus, much of it is rumor, inaccurate facts and, to some extent, knowledge based on ignorance and fear.

Nothing pleases me more than after providing a bit of education my kiddos not only know about this global pandemic but, also have the education to protect themselves while understanding how this illness affects all human beings. You wouldn't believe how little adolescents know about the reality of this virus. Their lack of knowledge isn't their fault, it's ours, and we are responsible to them. With that said, part of the work of my and my colleagues mission involves infecting our youth with education-- education which we want them to transmit to everyone. Hopefully today, after learning all about a virus that does not discriminate, they will leave the room armed with facts, knowledge, and compassion; it's our hope they will be contagious.

Today is World AIDS Day. What do you know about HIV/AIDS?

According to UNAIDS.com estimates (2009), there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children.

Did you know:

1. You cannot get HIV from shaking hands or hugging a person with HIV/AIDS.
2. You cannot get HIV from using a public telephone, drinking fountain, restroom, swimming pool, jacuzzi, or hot tub.
3. You cannot get HIV from sharing a drink.
4. You cannot get HIV from being coughed or sneezed on by a person with HIV/AIDS.
5. You cannot get HIV from giving blood.
6. You cannot get HIV from a mosquito bite.
7. There are approximately 33.2 million people living with HIV, including about 2.5 children.
8. Half of all children living with HIV will die before their second birthday.
9. It takes about 14-weeks for HIV to incubate in the body. This means it can go undetected for over 3 months.
10. When AIDS was first "discovered" it was called GRIDS (gay-related-immunodeficiency-syndrome) because it was thought to occur mostly in homosexual men... but (THANKFULLY) the disease was renamed somewhere between 1982 and 1984 when scientists realized that the disease does not discriminate between humans.
11. A 2009 study indicated that HIV infections have reduced by approximately 17% in the past eight years. What do you think contributes to the decrease in infection rates? Education, for one. Spread the word.

http://www.aids.gov/basic/101/index.html

Today, just as I do about every 56-days, I'm giving blood. While transfusions are not a viable option for HIV/AIDS treatment, there are over 5-million blood transfusions in America every year. It's estimated that 5-10% of the world's blood supply is infected it HIV/AIDS- most of which is contained in blood outside of the U.S due to sub par testing procedures in poorer countries. There is a need for blood and, as small and helpless as I feel against the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, there are things I can do to make a difference. Giving one small pint of my blood makes a difference; I have about 10 healthy pints, I can spare just one
and so can you.

Find out what you can do to help fight this global pandemic. Action. Education. Awareness.

Say What? You have a girlfriend?!?

Aaron is a Saint-- Saint Aaron. He should be recognized by the dioceses. In order to understand why I say that you'd have to live with me for a terrifying twenty-four-hours-per-day-seven-days-per-week-three-hundred-sixty-five/six-days-per-year. And that, my friends, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

I'm not at all spontaneous, I'm rigid, structured, demanding and a bit neurotic. I literally have instructions written out for every possible task on top of having insane rules: You can't write in the checkbook registry in anything but pencil, you have to make the bed a certain way, your keys go in a specific place, the gas gauge can't go below 1/4 tank, there always has to be three hand towels in the kitchen and they are coordinated by season, my coffee cup can only be filled to a certain point or you get "the look", and I must sweep the floor at least once per day. (I could go on and on and on) But, Aaron loves me. Better yet, he is obsessed, smitten and utterly enamoured with me. It sounds awful and conceited, but he LOVES me. Why? I have no idea. He's making up for sins in a past life I suppose.

Decorating for the Christmas season usually involves me trying out each and every decoration in at least 5 or 6 different places before I like where I put it. Aaron, bless his heart, always tries to help and usually ends up following me around so I can "check" the placement of each item with him:

J: "Do you like the nativity there, or in the place I had it before?"
A: "It looks great there, Babe."
J: (Squinting at it) "No, help me move it."

Or sometimes he'll put a decorative Santa on an end-table only to find it missing 5 minutes later because I've moved it to a more aesthetically pleasing area. My definition of him helping usually involves me making him go into the storage area, "bring this downstairs," "bring this upstairs", "look at the mess the glitter made --where's the dust-buster?" I don't know why he bothers sometimes.

Decorating for Christmas 2010 wasn't any better. While we do have amazing decorations a-plenty, it took us about 7 hours to put them all in their place (and we didn't even decorate the tree the same night.) So, as I sat on the floor debating where to move one of my nativity scenes (for the millionth time), a conversation between me and my wonderful husband went something like this:

A: (almost defeatedly grabbing his wallet and cell phone) "I'll be right back, I need to get something out of the truck."
J: (playfully) "Yeah, you need to go outside to call your girlfriend and tell her how awful I am."
A: "Oh, she already knows." (closes front door)

The house phone rings

J: Hello?
A: (in a secretive scheming whisper) "Hey, it's me. You'll never believe what the bitch is making me do tonight!!!"

That was all I needed from him to bring me back to the reality and fun of decorating the house instead of stressing over perfection. I don't know how he does it, or why he does it but, he does it for me. He's a Saint and he knows just how to handle this devil.

Menu Monday: The Perfect Dog

Today is Bing's 6th Birthday. Six, I can't believe it! He's six. I hate that he's six. I want him to stay young and little forever (well, he'll always be little).

For today's Menu Monday, please find the recipe to make a healthy and happy dog.

Ingredients:

• Handful of kisses
• 8C spoiling
• 1/3 portion of a queen-sized bed, nightly
• 1 monthly bath
• Eggs on the weekends
• Lovies every second
• 4+ walks per day
• 3 baskets of toys
• 1 drawer of clothing
• 1 drawer of costumes for every holiday/season
• 8C unconditional love
• 1 can smiles

 Directions:

Start first thing in the morning by saying, "Good morning, I missed you last night!" Cuddle, then take canine outside to walk and sniff surroundings (if chilly, first get pup dressed [boots may be required in the winter.]) Bring puppy back inside and prepare breakfast. Serve breakfast to the dog on the couch, out of reach of other animals so he may relax. Praise, praise, praise. Take for a long walk (1 mile- or less depending on the weather) and then when inside, play fetch for approximately 15 minutes. Leave pup for a few hours in a warm house with toys and water available.

When you return: Act like you haven't seen the pup in years-- squeal and jump around. Immediately following a greeting that would be embarrassing for a stranger to witness, take pup out for a walk to stretch his legs (this will make him juicier and leaner.) Bring pup back inside and prepare dinner/treats (you can add fresh carrots or green beans to mixture, but cut into small pieces.) Following dinner, bring dog out promptly for another walk- let him run and play.

Retire dog to your choice of location for the night (couch, bed, easy chair) and let dog sit on your lap while you absentmindedly pet him non-stop while watching TV. When ready for bed, carry puppy upstairs and put under the covers. Give the dog the majority of the room in the bed for they are most comfortable when they are able to completely stretch out. Continue daily.

** This recipe will yield a happy 8 pound chihuahua. You may need to adjust ingredients/directions per dog.

End result:

The Happiest 8 pound BIRTHDAY BOY

Happy 6th Birthday to Bing Francis Molloy. You are loved beyond words.
Now, please stop aging, 6 is enough.

We love you!

Love,
Mama, Daddy, Rocko, Shredda and your favorite thing in the whole world....


Your pesky brother, Manny!

95 self-disclosures

YOUR LAST:

1. Last beverage:
Coffee

2. Last phone call:
My Dad

3. Last text message:
My Brother

4. Last song you listened to:
Knocking on Heaven's Door- Gun's N' Roses

5. Last time you cried:
Monday, when I left Pepe's house

HAVE YOU EVER:

6. Dated someone twice:
Yes, in high school I dated someone my freshman year then again my junior year; didn't work out either time

7. Regretted meeting one of your friends:
Yes

8. Lied to a friend:
Not maliciously. Maybe in a "No, those pants look great! They highlight your camel-toe in a good way!" type of lie

9. Lost someone special:
Yes

10 Broken a bone:
Yes: fingers, toes, tailbone and my right arm

11. Been drunk and thrown up:
YES! Fail

Right after Aaron made me throw up in my Nine West purse; it was either that or our brand new car.

List three favorite colors:
12. Black
13. Gray
14. Forest Green

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. Made a new friend:
Hmmm. I think so

16. Detention:
Huh? No?

17. Laughed until you cried:
Yes, the other night when Aaron was playing with photo shop and making pictures of him look like a fun house mirror. I was cracking up. I don't laugh enough. I'm way too serious

18. Met someone who changed you:
Yes. Every client I work with changes me

19. Found out who your true friends were:
This year? Did I ever!

20. Found out someone was talking about you:
Talking, degrading, facebook defaming. Yeah, it's all good. Who looks like the asshole now? Yeah, that's right, not this girl

21. How many kids do you want:
Undecided. I'll probably give birth to one, maybe adopt one. The world's population is already past a point of self-sustainability so I don't want to contribute to it

22-23- Missing questions

24. Do you have any pets:
4, but they own us

25. Do you want to change your name:
Yes, I do actually. Since I can remember EVERYONE has always called me Jessi, my parents have actually said they wish they would have just named me Jessi. I should change it

26. What did you do for your last birthday:
I don't remember. I'm pretty sure I was at work

27. What time did you wake up today:
9:00 am. That's the latest I've slept in probably a year. Thank you, Tryptophan

28. What were you doing at midnight last night:
Watching CNN's Hero's, grateful for good people left in the world.

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for:
New York City with Aaron, Nickie and Jay-- The LION KING!

30. Last time you saw your Mother:
Monday

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life:
My perfectionism. I mean, really? Who tediously proof reads a blog to the point they notice and perseverate on missing questions? Yeah. I need PA (Perfectionism Anonymous) I wonder what those twelve steps would look like. Regardless of the steps, I bet they'd be written out perfectly-- sans any errors.

32. What are you listening to right now:
Pink Floyd

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom:
Yes

34. Who's getting on your nerves right now:
No one, really. I don't get annoyed easily.

35. Most visited web page:
Lately? Ticketmaster, LOL

36. What's your real name:
Jessica Frances Molloy

37. Any nicknames:
Bubby, Princess Fesses, 243, Sess

38. Relationship Status:
Married

39. Zodiac sign:
Gemini- and boy am I one

40. Male or female:
Female

41. Birthday:
June 16

42.Current School:
I teach at NHTI, does that count?

43. High school/College:
Spaulding High School
Husson University
Antioch University New England

44. Write w/e you want here:
w/e you want here

45. Long or short:
What exactly are we talking about? Why must you be so cryptic?

46. Height:
5'2

47. Do you have a crush on someone:
Gerard Butler and that sexy Asian dancer on Glee

48. What do you like about yourself:
I'm strong, I'm intelligent and I'm a hard worker. I respect myself

49. Piercings:
Several

51. Righty or lefty:
Righty

FIRSTS:

52. First surgery:
Cosmetic

53. First piercing:
Ears

54. First true best friend:
My sister. Tried and True. Always has been, always will be. She's my rock

55. First sport you joined:
Gymnastics

56. First vacation:
Camp

57. Question missing

58. First pair of trainers:
Huh? Ixnay on the upidstay estionsquay

NOW:

59. Eating:
Just had a piece of pumpkin roll

60. Drinking:
washed it down with Coke-- straight from the 2-liter bottle
pig

61. I'm about to:
Head over to Barnes & Noble

62. Listening to:
Aaron installing trim in the bathroom... and the radio

63. Waiting for:
5:00- we're going to the movies. I want to see Love and Other Drugs. Should be good

YOUR FUTURE:

64. Want kids:
Yes!!

65. Get married:
I'm set. This one's a keeper

66. Career:
I'm always looking to build the old resume but, I'm happy doing what I'm doing. It pays the bills

WHICH IS BETTER:

67. Lips or eyes:
Eyes

68. Hugs or kisses:
HUGS- but only if you're on the approved "hug" list. Otherwise I don't like being touched

69. Shorter or taller:
Shorter

70. Older or Younger:
Older

71. Romantic or spontaneous:
Me? Neither, LOL

72. Nice stomach or nice arms:
Do I have to choose?

73. Sensitive or loud:
Ugh. I hate loud. Loud noises/people put me on edge; ready to dart for the door. But, I don't really like it when people (not including my clients) lick their wounds for the better part of the day- toughen up, will ya?

74. Hair or body:
I'm not answering that. It's another stupid question

75. Question missing

HAVE YOU EVER:

76. Kissed a stranger:
Like a peck, or open mouth? No to the latter

77. Drank hard liquor:
Ugh. Yes

78. Lost glasses/contacts:
No

79. Sex on first date:
For me? No thanks. If you want to that's fine with me. Have fun and be safe, please

80. Broken someones heart:
See number 6

81. Been in the backseat of a cop car:
Ewww. NO!

82. Been arrested:
NO!

83. Turned someone down:
Yes. Just the other night some guy asked me to dinner- a complete stranger actually. Yeah, drink another one buddy

84. Cried when someone died:
Who wrote these? Sheesh. "No, (eyes rolling) I've never cried when someone died (sarcasm)."
Moron.

85. Fallen for a friend:
No

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself:
Absolutely. I can do whatever I set my mind to

87. Miracles:
Kind of. I believe people make miracles

88. Love at first sight:
No


89. Heaven:
Yes, but not in the sense that everyone believes it to be

90. Santa Claus:
Yes, but not as in the white-bearded-jolly old fella. More of the spirit of giving

91. Kiss on the first date:
Yes, if it feels right

92. Angels:
Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

93. Question missing

94. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time:
In high school I did, yes

95. Did you sing today:
No

96. Ever cheated on somebody:
Define "cheat"- I don't think stuff from high school counts, right?

97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go?:
Not too far. I'd love to have known my grandfather when he was my age

98. The moment you would choose to re-live:
That's tough. I don't know

99. Are you afraid of falling in love:
I'm not afraid to love

100. Are you afraid of posting this as 100 truths:
A little. This one is pretty personal

Photographic Friday: Obedience

A couple of weeks ago, the baby of the family (Shamus Arizona) graduated obedience school. You know, for someone who pretends claims he fell prey to his manipulative wife and daughter's ploy to buy a dog, McPepe doesn't seem to be suffering too much; look at that million dollar smile.

That's right, Linda and I are the alpha dogs around here.

Fun Fact Thursday: 25 Things

A while back, on Facebook, I did the "25-things-chain-mail-thingy" that was circulating through every page on my news-feed. For a long time I held out but once I did it, I must admit, it was fun. I haven't read the last one I did in a LONG time so, I hope there aren't any repeats. If I found 25 new/interesting things about myself then, hey, that's not too shabby.

1. I talk in my sleep. BIG TIME and VERY OFTEN-- full blown conversations. The only problem is that they don't make any sense.

2. I would not want to live in a world without coffee or dogs.

3. I never wear sunscreen although, I know I should.

4. I can't stand, I loath, despise, hate and detest being barefoot.

5. *Controversial- dont' read if you're easily offended* I think the American flag is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I think we are so incredibly privileged and lucky to live in the U.S.A. I also get really pissed when people disrespect this country; I would personally love to throw their whiny ass out. If the grass is greener, shithead, go mow it.

6. If I thought I could get away with it, I would never shave my armpits or legs. Ever again

7. I love onions.

8. I get strange urges when I am on a boat or near water. I always feel like I'm going to grab my wedding rings and throw them into the abyss. Not that I think I actually would, it's just this fear I have of losing them by winging them into the deep.

9. I am a Republican (something I used to fear saying out loud-- we are so misunderstood.) BUT, I think there is a HUGE difference between being a Republican and a Conservative. I *am not* a conservative in most ways.

10. When nobody is looking I can be very sweet and thoughtful. ;)

11. A friend told me "the pen is mightier than the sword." That was some of the best advice I was ever given and one of the reasons I started writing.

12. I have a huge fear of the liquid inside ice packs; I was told once that it's poison. Now I wrap all my ice packs in a Ziploc baggy.

13. For the past 10 years my dream car has been a station wagon. Two years ago I bought one :)

14. I want to visit and photograph all the lighthouses in New England.

15. All the covered bridges too.

16. I could easily spend $1000 at Zales.

17. I am obsessed with all things Vera Bradley.

18. I feel badly for inanimate objects. It's an illness.

19. I hate most cheeses. Although, I do like cheddar cheese with grapes (eating both in the same bite.)

20. I don't like to go out to eat very often because I can't see the kitchen.

21. I miss Ashley every day and feel guilty that my bone marrow wasn't strong enough. I still can't bring myself to talk about her.

22. I have some of the very best friends a girl could ask for. I really do. Unfortunately, I'm a pretty solitary creature incapable of small talk which, I think, hurts my friendships sometimes.

23. I love red-winged-blackbirds.

24. My next tattoo will be a seahorse. In first grade I became fascinated with them and begged my mother to make me a purple sequined seahorse costume for Halloween- I wish I could find the pictures- it was amazing!! Now, when I think of seahorses, I always feel my Pepe's presence. Only recently I found out that male seahorses give birth and raise their young. So fitting.

25. I wish I could half ass something. I can't, unfortunately, it's not how I am made.

Pittsburg, Oui?

The trip we took to Pittsburg, New Hampshire, over our anniversary weekend (10/10/10) was one of the best trips we've ever taken together. If you haven't been to Pittsburg, I must warn you that it's not a place to go if you like nightlife. We aren't much for the nightlife, so we loved it there. We were about 10 miles for the Canadian border; far away from any cell phone tower or strip mall. Pittsburg, and our cabin, gave us the privacy we needed to recharge our batteries and celebrate our first year of marriage. I can't put into words how much we loved this vacation but we just kept saying "it feels like we're in another world." I DID NOT want to leave.

The cabin we rented was absolutely perfect! Private, on a lake, cozy, pristine and had a full kitchen!

Some of the best animal viewing in Pittsburg, I tell ya!

Us, standing in front of border patrol. That's right, you can walk right into Canada.

On one of our excursions down a logging road (most of Pittsburg is like that) we ran across a small campsite selling honey, cookies and such. We made friends with not only the camper, but also a Canada Jay, which are incredibly tame birds. I loved him!

The restaurants in Pittsburg made "good old home cooked food"; nothing felt commercial or rushed. There wasn't a chain restaurant there so, everything was independently owned. The staff (and everyone) we encountered treated us like old friends. I can't get over the generosity and approachability of these small town folks.

Bing did a lot of sleeping on his vacation.

While there we climbed Mount Magalloway- almost a 4000 ft. peak. There was, indeed, ice in the middle of October. Actually, we were so far north the digital thermometer in my car never went above 40* the entire weekend!

 

In addition to lighthouses and covered bridges, we love fire towers. At the top of the mountain we were able to climb the tower to the top. I don't do heights so Aaron was only able to coax me about 1/4 of the way up before I almost passed out but, the view was amazing. (See how scared I looked!!) :(

Aaron went up the rest of the way. **Please note my jeans: I actually slipped on ice into mud. Luckily my bony hip caught my fall and I was still able to limp my way up (and down) the rest of the mountain. One of these days I will go on a hike and not injure myself in some way.

I picked Pittsburg as our anniversary destination because I wanted some place quiet where we were guaranteed to see a Moose. Our second day there (Saturday evening) we found one!!

Hi Moooosssiiieeee! 

On the day of our actual anniversary (Sunday, 10/10) we dressed the boys in the tuxes they wore to our ceremony... then went off exploring.

I wanted to go back to find our bird again.

and see more Moose!

You may remember this summer, in Bingham, Maine we hit the 45th parallel. Well, in a border town to Pittsburg (where we went antiquing) we ran into another one!

True story, there are three covered bridges in Pittsburg. We went to them all :)

Monday was our last day there and we started our morning with breakfast at Tall Timbers. It was so romantic (and if you're ever in the area, note- Tall Timbers is RESERVATION ONLY). With full bellies we went for a paddle on Back Lake (where our cabin sat- you can see it behind the tree, below)

 

One thing I loved about this cabin was its "updated antique" feeling-- complete with skeleton key!

On the long drive home from Pittsburg we stopped at many touristy places, including several more covered bridges and a waterfall. When we pulled out of the driveway of our little rented cabin, I had tears in my eyes because I had such an amazing weekend. There was so many moments when Aaron was driving us all around the wilderness that I just couldn't help but think how lucky we are to have the life we do and are able to share it with one another. We will definitely go back again and again.