Day 16

Just going to pick up where I left off.

Day 16 → A song that makes you cry

Easy to understand why... I cried just now watching it again.

Day 15... eh

Day 15 - A Fanfic...

Nah not gonna do that.

Instead I am going to blog about Mrs' (from Mr, Mrs, & Little Miss) Blog Service! She does

Basic Package:
2 or 3 Column Template
Custom Background
Post Divider
Custom Sidebar Headers
A Header
Only $15

Plus you can buy a bunch of add ons too pretty cheaply, like custom changing headers and signatures. You could also buy headers, side bars, and other things! For details email her at mcnair06 at live.ca. If I could stretch my meager budget right now I would totally go crazy. Alas it is not working out too well in my planning as of yet. So in the mean time I am entering her AMAZING contest and hoping for the best! Good luck guys!

Day 14 And Swaps!

Day 14 - a Non Fiction Book

Easy! My Life in France by Julia Child. I did enjoy the movie Julie & Julia but her book is just amazing. What an incredible life she lived! I even own her cookbook and although I have been too chicken to try anything yet I am determined to make something and make it right!!




Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots is the host and she paired me with Michelle at ~A'etonu Family Adventures~ and he blog is amazing! I need to put together a Summer Essentials care package for her ($20 limit) that will rock her socks off! Any ideas feel free to throw my way, I already have some of my own!

For new readers, I have added a list on the right side of my blog of some of my important entries from the past year. If you want to play a little catch up feel free to click on any of them to see where we came from!

Family gets here tomorrow! I am so excited! Then Sunday is opening night of the opera at the DC Fringe Festival! Wish me luck (:

Day 13

Day 13 - A Fiction Book

Just one??? I can't choose! I love a lot, I am a shameless fiction reader. Harry Potter, (and I hate to admit I read Twilight too...), Lamb the Gospel According to Biff Christ's Childhood Pal, and if you want some awesome books by British or Irish authors I recommend Cecilia Ahern (If You Could See Me Now, P.S. I Love You...) and the books Amanda's Wedding and Talking to Addison.

Just if you need some suggestions!

Tonight my good friend Kristin, who is back from Chicago for two months, came to see the apartment. We had some awesome Thai food and then went to see Eclipse. It is a small theatre on King St in Alexandria and with active duty discount tickets were $7! Then the catch, you have to buy one drink (alcoholic or not) with each ticket. A $4 soda or $6 beer suddenly makes it all not quite so cheap. But it is still a cool theatre, older and they didn't start the movie until we were all seated inside and ready!

One more day, than the weekend!!! Saturday the family is coming down with Fernando and I am pretty excited.

Day 10, 11, 12 geeze I am behind!

Day 10 - A photo of you taken over ten years ago

Not too much has changed right?


At a park in NJ when I was a wee one!

Day 11 - A photo of you taken recently

This is the most revent picture on my laptop, it is from when Ryan and I went to VA Beach over Memorial Day weekend.

Day 12 - Whatever tickles your fancy
I am a guest blogger for Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots this weekend... make sure you check it out! I hope I do her blog justice, I am on draft 5 already! Wish me luck!

And welcome new followers! I got so excited to see you (:

Day 9

Day 9 - A Photo I Took

A Storm brewing in St Croix where my best friend Sam's family now lives. We spent a Christmas break here once and it was amazing! Her family moved there in college and it was a great change from a cold NJ to the tropical island!

Inauguration Day. I got to the mall around 4am or so and the sun finally started to come out. We were absolutely frozen, it was around 10 degrees that day I think and the ground was literally rock hard with ice. So worth being there though!

Stratford-Upon-Avon, England... one of the main streets of the town that looks historically still... minus the asphalt!

I LOVE this picture. When I was in Crete, Greece (studying abroad in the Mediteranean) we walked by these fishermen and I saw this guy with the eel and had to take a picture. He said something to me in Greek but I hope it was a good thing as I already had taken the picture!

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For the 4th of July Ryan and I went to the concert on the Capital lawn. It was hot but great. We saw Gladys Knight, Darius Rucker and Reba!!!! Other great acts too. Then we ran down to the National Mall and saw the fireworks in the masses of people.

After we walked back to the barracks and went up to the fifth deck of the parking lot. Sitting in the bed of Josh's truck we had a beer or two and had a 360 view of the city and saw fireworks going off everywhere. It was amazing.

It is ironic. The last time I did the 4th of July in DC, going to the Capital Concert and the National Mall, it was so different. I was with two of my girlfriends and it was raining on and off all day but still so humid. Luckily it was not too crowded but the big difference... it was during the time Ryan and I were broken up and at the time not really speaking. We literally broke up for two weeks within a month or two of dating. He thought he was deploying soon and it wasn't fair to me to make me go through that. We started talking and got back together a week or so after the 4th and he never deployed (at that time). Now two years later it was blazing sun, we had survived a deployment, and we're married.

Funny how time changes eh?

Day 8

Day 8 - A Photo that makes you angry/sad

Any photos that make me angry would be inappropriate to post on my blog (in my opinion) so I will post one that makes me sad.



Saying my last goodbye to Ryan before he left for Iraq. I sometimes find it hard to believe that one of the most painful moments of my life was caught on film (or digital) but I am glad that looking back I have it. I honestly felt the most heartbreaking sorrow in that moment and such fear... it was unlike anything I had ever experienced and I hope I never will have to again.

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I got my nails done today and I am happy with them! Yay! Now Ryan and I are going to head to this Greek restaurant on King St I have been dying to try so I am pretty excited. We were up til almost 2am watching the DVD of our wedding we just got in the mail from my mom's friend Ann Marie. It was very sweet, I cried more watching it I think than I did on the wedding day! And we have all the amazing speeches... the homily, best man, maid of honor, my dad, Ryan's grandfather... all on tape.

And we ordered our thank you notes today. Progress!

Day 7

Day 7 - A photo that makes you happy

Just one??? You cannot be serious! Well, I am doing a few more than one!

I love when Ryan kisses me on the cheek!

My family!

My family....extended!

When Ryan got back from Iraq... I flew up from Disney to see him in DC for a few days before I had to go back to work. I was so so so happy.

Just after he proposed during the fireworks at EPCOT.

Still accepting Questions for the Q&A post! Send them my way!!!

Days Five and Six

Of course when I decide to do a blogging thing for 30 days I start missing them left and right!

Day 5 - Your Favorite Quote

I have so many to choose from that this may be difficult. I actually kept a quote book in high school that I would try and put two quotes a day in. I will just steal some off my facebook page that I love and leave you to see!

"To be Irish is to know that in the end, the world will break your heart.”

"Sweeping eggshells still at 3 A.M.
We're trying far too hard
The tattered thought balloons above our heads
...Sinking in the weight of all we need to say
Why's and what if's have since long played out
Left us short on happy endings."
-Josh Groban

"I love acting. It is so much more real than life."
-Oscar Wilde

"Strangers are just family you have not yet come to know."
-The 5 People You Meet in Heaven

"I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each others dreams, we can be together all the time." - Hobbes (As in Calvin &...)

"There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle."
-Albert Einstein

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Sometimes you have to go out of your way to get into trouble. It's called fun."
-Robin Williams

"Acting is pretending that you're not pretending when you're actually pretending."
-Ted Danson

"Life offers you a thousand chances ... all you have to do is take one."
-Under the Tuscan Sun

Day Six - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

Hm...well I guess I will just say my parents have an exchange student for the month of July. His name is Fernando and he is about sixteen and from Spain. Pretty cool. He arrived last night and my parents said he is still in the pretty nervous and shy stage, but I am sure Stefan will drag him out of that real quick. And to make things worse his luggage got lost! My family is going down to the new house in North Carolina this weekend so if his luggage doesn't come today he cannot get it til next week!

My parents are coming to DC the weekend of the 10th-11th so I will get to meet him. I have to say this kid is lucky to get my family. My dad loves showing people New Jersey and New York, especially if they have never seen it before... on the day of my Bachelorette thing he took Ryan and Josh into NYC for the day as Josh had never gone before and they had a blast! So Fernando gets to go to North Carolina, Washington DC, NYC with the program, Philadelphia... and who knows what else? Lucky guy! Apparently his English is really good too, and since my thirteen year old brother is the only one in the house now who speaks any Spanish that is a good thing. Especialy considering the level of Stefan's spanish... not that mine is any better!



It took me almost two hours to get home in traffic yesterday. So not cool. And the kids have had the full moon messing with them this week. Everyone is hitting and being extra bad, it is exhausting! Let's hope it passes. I hate yelling at six year olds!

Ryan has the Friday night parade tonight and is off Friday-Monday. I have camp AND rehearsal tomorrow, no camp Monday but rehearsal Monday night. So much for a long weekend!

Reminder - Still accepting questions for my Q&A blog post! I don't have many so ask away!!!!

Days 3, 4 and Tiredness

Day Three - Your Favorite TV Show

Lately Ryan and I have been in love with Mythbusters. I have watched it a lot before we got married, but since living together that is like the one show we can always agree on. We have watched hours and hours of it during marathons and both are so entertained by it. Plus the fact that Jaime reminds me a lot of my dad is quite hysterical.

I also love Top Chef, Will & Grace, Cake Boss, Golden Girls, America's Next Top Model, and the Office.

Day Four - Your Favorite Book

Hands down, Lamb, the gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. It is the funniest book I have ever read in my life. He also really did his research! It explains a lot of the unanswered questions in Christianity... what happened to Jesus between the ages of 6 and 30? Well he went with his best friend Biff to find the three Wise Men to learn how to be the Messiah. Jesus, or Joshua as he is called in the book, is by no means dissrespectful. Biff does the lying and cheating and "knowing" women stuff for him. Mix in demons, kung fu, and Mary Magdalane and it is a great story. The ending is sobering slightly, but the book is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. My mom is a parish secretary and she and our priest both read it and thought it was great. Take it how it is, a work of fiction, and you'll love it!

Harry Potter rocks my socks off too.



Going from camp all day to rehearsal at night is killing me, and it is only day 2. God I cannot wait until this summer is over and I can just relax with... a real full time job.

Oy.

Day 2 - Your Favorite Movie

Another tough one! I have to say I will always be a die hard fan of Back to the Future! All three are actually wonderful. Most people say the third one, in the Wild West, is awful, but I think it is hysterical. The second one going into the future is just awesome, and the first is a classic! I had a huge poster in my dorm all four years of college and I flirted with the idea of being Marty McFly one year for Halloween. My dream car is a DeLorean, I even debated fully throwing myself into driving stick (*shudder*) to do it. Two years ago when Angelyn, Anna Laura and I went to the National Mall for the 4th of July I was ecstatic because Huey Lewis and the News played and totally sang Back in Time. Amazing. The kitchyness of the 80s in this movie also cracks me up a bit. The orange puffy vest and the music and the shoes... so cool.



My other favorite I have to mention is Under the Tuscan Sun. Diane Lane is just wonderful in this movie and it makes me want to pack my bags, move to Tuscanny, and find a cool villa. It is funny, it is a great story, and it always makes me feel better when I am in a terrible mood. One time when Ryan and I were still dating we had a huge (and very stupid) fight. In a mess of tears I called my best friend Sam. We talked for a bit and she told me the movie was on Oxygen. I didn't get that channel but I popped in my DVD and we sat quietly together on the phone watching it, her in Florida, me in Maryland. After we hung up I put it back to the beginning and watched it over and over until I could fall asleep. Now whenever I am sad or down I always pop that movie in and I feel myself just getting much lighter and happier. I really want to go to Tuscany with Ryan. He is such a wine buff that he would be in heaven. The food would be amazing and the scenery would take our breaths away.

Someday.

30 Day Me...me?

I have seen a lot of bloggers doing this and since I have hit a little bit of a blogging block I think this will help me out a bit! So here we go, 30 days!

Day One - Your Favorite Song

This one is hard, I have quite a few! I will narrow it down to two, one from my favorite singer and one that is a favorite for an obvious reason.



My one favorite is "February Song" by Josh Groban. The words, the music, and of course the voice just melt my heart. This song is my favorite that he sings in English (Alla Luce Del Sol is another great one in Italian if you're interested!). I have been a huge fan of Josh for ages and even Ryan agrees if he comes knocking I can go for one night (as long as if Taylor Swift does the same for him he can too, ask me to post about the concept of a David Bowie list to you later if you want to know the story!) no strings attached!


The other of course has to be "It's Your Love" by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. It was the song Ryan and I danced to at our wedding and it was so perfect for us. I will always remember that dance, with Ryan singing to me as we swayed. I sang back to him a little, but hearing him just made my heart soar so I had to focus or I was going to start to cry tears of joy!



You can tell by my huge grin how happy I was! And still am!



And you can see him singing. I hope one day when we have children they inherit his vocal abilities... mine are dismal! He can positively croon. I love when he sings to me!!!



I just couldn't help myself ;)





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Today Ryan and I were slugs. We were up late since he had a parade and I waited up for him. We fell asleep on the couch around 2am and woke up at 8am very stiff! So we go to bed and I woke up around 11. I was up for nearly two hours and I went in to wake Ryan up and we both ended up falling asleep again until 2:30! Slugs!!! We ate and I needed to get out of the house for a bit so I took my book and walked to King Street while Ryan chilled on the couch. I sat near the courthouse and read for awhile before making my way back, it was a nice two hours for me to unwind and just explore a bit more.

Now we are watching Transformers and Ryan is an amazing husband who is making me a stunning chicken dinner. Can't wait!

I am still accepting questions for a future questions and answers post, keep them coming!