Otherwise Engaged

This Christmas was very special. Not only did I spend it with family and close friends, I also received the most precious gift: a super sparkley, ridiculously beautiful, engagement ring!

The proposal was very romantic and my sweet fiancée, with the help of my sister (pictured below), arranged for both our families to celebrate with us after the big event.

N and I are absolutely over the moon and diving right into the wedding planning. Right now we're trying to nail down a venue for our 200+ guests, hello my big-fat-Italian-wedding, but we're having a blast!

I'm bubbling with happiness and can't wait to say "I do!"

Birthdays!

I celebrated my 27th birthday this weekend and it was wonderful. As much as I hated the thought of creeping into my late 20's, my friends and family put in a ton of effort to make my day extra special. I'm truly blessed.

Top memories of the weekend:

Sweet cupcakes.

Spa day at Emerge.

Gift cards to my favorite stores. 1 and 2.

An (extra) chocolate covered fruit arrangement.

Dinner with N at Hamersley's.

Cards upon cards from friends and family near and far.

Drinks at Bokx and pineapple upside down shots.

Flowers from my favorite 2 year old.

Family brunch.

Two Oprah-approved pot pies.

Thanks for all the love!

Perfect Thought for Today

I love this: "Live your dream, and wear your passion." Fabulous!

Via.

Photog 101

To learn more about my new camera and how to take artsy pictures that I can post on Facebook (aka show off on Facebook) and share with family and friends, I signed up for a photography class at a local high school. In six sessions, I'm supposed to learn "some technical aspects and some basic photographic compositional methods." By the sounds of it, maybe I should've steered clear of the beyond beginner class.

How much fun is this picture!? Maybe I'll learn to take something like this. I'll be sure to document my progress.

Our Story - N&J

Do you remember this awesome Google commercial from the SuperBowl? In honor of N's birthday, I made him a video of our story using Google's SearchStories Video Creator.

Check it out below! It's just a snip-it of how fabulous our story really is :)

Photog

I'm jealous of people with fancy cameras. I'm jealous of people who can take artsy pictures (like the one to the left). I really want to be one of those people.

I have a Sony Cyber-shot camera at the moment and I want to be inspired to use it.

I blog every once in awhile and it's rare that people post comments. I'm not sure if anyone even reads my ramblings, but if you do, and if you have any tips or tricks for taking stellar pictures, PLEASE SHARE!

Happy Monday

A special woman forwarded me this quote in an email:

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass along the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

Happy thoughts for a happy Monday.

Special Gifts

Happy New Year!

It's definitely tough to get back into the swing of things today. The last two weeks have been filled with lots of family and friend time. Egg nog drinking, movie watching and eating until I couldn't eat anymore. Perfection.

I also received a slew of fabulous gifts and I am very thankful.

But this year I bought myself the mother of all gifts. A major splurge. I bought a Gucci bag. The thing is beautiful. It should walk and talk given the hit to my bank account, but the minute I touched the leather, I couldn't resist and I broke out the debit card.

And I gave a very special gift. I made a pot roast. Correct, I don't eat meat and I made a pot roast. All for my meat-lovin bf. He died and went to heaven. The smile on his face let me know that the special dinner entree was his favorite Christmas gift of all. It's the little things in our house.

What special gift did you receive/give?

What I Love Right Now

This adorable set of vintage keys from Pottery Barn! I'm currently in decorating mode to make our place more "homey" and these will fit perfectly above the cast iron coat rack I've been eyeing for the entryway. My mom is awesome and is buying us both xo.

The keys are decorative, but also have a personal meaning - not only do I have the key to N's heart, but now I have the key to his home.

Bittersweet - But More On The Sweet Side

Newsflash: I moved in with N this past weekend! Woah big move.

We packed up all my belongings in my cozy (little) apartment, loaded them into his truck, and as I was about to lock-up for the last time - I cried. Don't get me wrong, it's not because I want to stay. I've had some fabulous times on Cedar Street and I wouldn't change any of the twists and turns in my life that led me to the place I am today -I cried because it's a bittersweet feeling to move on to a new chapter in your life in such a physical way.

The minute we walked out the door, I was over it. Sometimes a girl just needs a minute.

I'm excited to be coexisting with my main man and making what was once just his home, ours :)

Another One Bites The Dust

And I'm absolutely thrilled. My best friend, my forever-valentine and the one who I've spent countless hours with imagining the men of our dreams, has finally found her Mr. Right and he popped the question this weekend. The bride and groom-to-be are glowing with happiness and I was just giddy to hear the news. So excited for a year of planning and preparing for the big day!

Much love to you both xoxo.

Much Love For The Fall

I love the fall in New England. Everything about it. The brisk mornings, the leaves changing color, pumpkins, apple picking, hot chocolate, oversized sweaters, Halloween, MY BIRTHDAY, Thanksgiving... the list could go on and on.

To really play up the season, I've been serving up some fall comfort foods. For example: a new dish, chicken with apple, onion and cider sauce, an oldie,but goodie, pumpkin chocolate chip bread ala the C's, and my very favorite, chicken pot pie!

I've been pretty impressed by my skills so far and I'm always looking for new recipes. If you have a great fall recipe, send it my way!

P.S. If you live in the area, hit up Honey Pot Hill Farm in Stow, MA for the apple cider donuts (the apple picking is great too) - you won't regret it.

Obsolete?

When I get to work in the morning, I like to have a little "me" time before jumping into my unread emails and the to-do list of the day. So I peruse my favorite blogs to get my mind going as I slowly come to grips with being back in the cube.

Today, Whoorl wrote about this book,




and it got me thinking about the things in my life that have become obsolete and which ones I miss (will miss) and which ones that I've happily waved goodbye to.

What I'll miss:

• Cassette tapes - My Born in the U.S.A. tape brought about my love for music at a young age. I'm forever thankful to whoever (probably my parents) bought it for me and let me listen to it 874503498 on repeat.
• Camera film - My nana is the only person I know that still uses an old-school camera and film and I love it. There is no picking and choosing the best picture of the bunch. She prints out all the pictures she takes and if someone blinks or a couple people are cut out of a shot, the picture is what it is - and that's the beauty of it.
• Cursive writing - I could never master the art of cursive writing; being a lefty, it was really hard to learn. There is something elegant about cursive writing and makes a letter that much more personal. I hope this never becomes obsolete (and letters in general for that matter).

Time to say goodbye:

• Getting lost - Garmin, your GPS has made my life less stressful. Thank you. Adios map in the back seat of my car that I could never read correctly or pay attention long enough to learn.
• Manual car windows - My last car had manual car windows. More times that I can count, a friend would pull up next to me at a red light and try to say hello and in order to respond, I would have to lunge across the front seat of the car and uncomfortably and embarrassingly crank the window down. I'm happy to have upgraded.
• Handkerchiefs - No explanation needed.

Tell me about the things in your life that have become obsolete - for the good or the bad!

Angels Reunite

And head to NYC! I've missed the girls way too much and we had a blast. It was a whirlwind, 24 hour tour. Here are a few highlights:

• Dinner at Son Cubano in the Meat Packing District (I highly recommend)
• Hotel Gansevoort roof-top bar
• The Brass Monkey - This was particularly awesome because it was the scene for the Bethenny/Kelly blow out on the Real Housewives
• Shopping on 5th Ave
• Strolling Central Park
• Taste testing the City's cupcakes - Magnolia vs. Crumbs - Magnolia won.

The laughs kept on coming especially at any reference of "the diaper." Looking forward to the next road trip.

P.S. Any guy looking to pick up a girl at a bar, please don't use the line, "My friends and I would really like to talk to you, we'll be right over here, just let us know if you're interested."

Hail The Grillmasters

The summer is officially in full effect now that I've had my first Boca burger of the summer. And not just my first, but in the span of two weeks, I've probably had about 8. I really can't tell you how much I love food from the grill, but to save my taste buds from hating the barbecued goodness come August, I'm taking a short, and I mean short, break from eating them. Tell a lie, I'll probably have one this weekend.

Much love to my favorite grillmaster - Dad.

If You Found A Hundred Dollar Bill On The Sidewalk...

How would you spend it? There is a lot you could buy for $100, but I would do the following:

Buy this adorable dress from J.Crew - $39.99 (on sale!)

Treat the fam to an icecream at Pizzi Farm because Dad has paid one too many times (my pick: Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip frozen yogurt) - $14.00

Share an Upper Crust Garden Veggie pizza with my best girl friends accompanied by a hefty glass of chardonnay - $20.75

Rent a movie On Demand with N - $4.99

Call in sick from work and head to Good Harbor beach in Gloucester for the day - $20 to park ($25 on weekends)

I'm pretty happy with my choices and the grand total comes to... $99.73. Perfect.

For my blogger friends, please share your lists on your blogs. For my non-blogger friends, I'd love to read your lists too. Shoot me a comment with how you would blow 100 bucks if you had the chance!

Manhattans All Around

A very special woman in my life passed away this morning. At 85 years-young, and weighing 80 lbs. soaking wet, she could still put away a stiff Manhattan with the best of them and was as quick-witted as they come.



I will miss you, Aunt Jo, you were a true class act. A trip to the Flying Bridge is in order for a proper toast to your fabulous life.

Love.Always.

Our Romantic Getaway

I don't have much time to write about my vacation at work, but I'll sum it up in one word - FABULOUS. Here are the pictures to document just how much fun we had.

Day 2: Bahamas, Atlantis Resort & Casino.

We got really good at taking our own pictures.

My first piña colada of the trip. Could I look happier?

Next stop, the aquarium at Atlantis. The fish loved N.

Holy octopus.

Day 3: CocoCay Beach, Bahamas.

N was really excited about the BBQ for lunch.

It was really windy, so we headed back to the ship.

Before dinner. N likes these pictures (because he looks great), so I put them up. I'm not a fan, but the mudslides look delish.

Day 4: Key West, Florida.

We hit up Sloppy Joe's for a margarita (10:00am).

Even more drinks at lunch.

And the Schooner Wharf Bar did us in.

The Blackberry and a cigar - perfection.

And somehow we made it back to the ship.

THE END :)

BRUUUUUUUCE

And the earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, love-making, Le-gen-dary E - Street - Band were in full effect last night at the Garden and they were nothing less than amazing. Here is the set list:

Badlands

Candy's Room

Outlaw Pete

She's the One

Working on a Dream

Seeds

Johnny 99

Youngstown

Raise Your Hand

I Wanna Be Sedated

Spirit in the Night

For You

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

The Promised Land

Jungleland

Kingdom of Days

Radio Nowhere (w/ Jay Weinberg)

Lonesome Day (w/ Jay Weinberg)

The Rising (w/ Jay Weinberg)

Born to Run (w/ Jay Weinberg)

* * *

Hard Times

Thunder Road

Land of Hope and Dreams

So Young and in Love (w/ Dropkick Murphys' Tim Brennan)

American Land (w/ Dropkick Murphys, Jay Weinberg)

Glory Days (w/ Dropkick Murphys, Jay Weinberg)

Seven Nights to Rock

The highlights for me were (in no particular order): For You, She's the One, Radio Nowhere, guitarist Tim Brennan from the Dropkick Murphys proposing to his girlfriend on stage, and Bruce's tight jeans. What can I say, the man is dead sexy. If you were at the show, you'd have to agree that Max's son, Jay, truly kicked it up a notch when he took the place of his old man behind the drums. Seriously, he's 18? I wish I had that much talent.

It was a special night for me, not only sharing the experience with N (our first Springsteen show as a couple), but my mom, uncle, sister and nana were in the house. Yes, my 77 year-old nana was rockin' out to Glory Days close to midnight.

To the BOSS and the boys,

Thank you for making last night as magical as ever. You stroke the fire in my belly too.

xoxo,

Bean

Layoffs

This time I wasn't on the receiving end, but it doesn't make it any easier. My closest friend at work got laid off and I'm pretty miserable right about now. My heart is breaking for the people that were let go because I know what they're going through. Been there and it's just plain AWFUL.

Drinks and chocolate always help. Atleast it's a long weekend.