Pet Peeve.

I can't STAND grammar errors and poor spelling. It drives me nuts and makes me want to scream!!!!! The things I hate the most....

-when someone does not use AN before words that begin with a vowel. example: A apple and not AN apple... drives me bonkers!!!!

-when someone spells simple words incorrectly over and over and over again! examples: tomatoe, supposably, and many many more

-when someone uses the wrong word because it sounds like another word.. (what is this called?) example: effect vs. affect

In other news, I am having a FABULOUS lazy weekend.. packing for Miami, shopping, lounging and enjoying the sunshine!!!!!

Part 2: wedding vendors stink.

Luckily I got in touch with the boss at the hotel and everything is going to work out. I sure did panic for a second though!!!! She is going to meet with us the next time PB is in town, and I am going to email her some of my notes on what we want before then.

Fwew. I feel better!

In other news, I have been eating dinner earlier lately and as a result I am famished when I wake up! I had my lunch at 11:30 today!!!! so funny.

Wedding vendors stink

Woah. So it's been 12 days since the girl at the hotel where our reception is has replied to my emails, and I had this bad feeling in my tummy. I called them, and the girl we were working with DOES NOT WORK THERE ANYMORE! oh. my. goodness. So no one has been receiving my emails and we are waiting right now to make sure they held the date for us still since we hadn't signed any contracts yet! ugh!!! So I am just sitting here waiting.... in suspense. We had already negotiated hardcore with this girl for cheaper prices on everything since we are having 350 people and a breakfast the next morning AND our rehearsal dinner the night before the reception. So now we will probably have to do it all again... as I am sure she did not leave on good terms. Had she left on good terms I am sure she would have emailed us to let us know who would be taking over.

such bs!

Happy Birthday Nonna + Wanie!

My cousin turned 25 last week, and Nonna turned 86 today!!!!

Aren't they both so beautiful?!

Happy Birthday!!!

Ridding yourself of unneeded sugar.. forever!

A lot of people I know want to reduce the amount of sugar or sugary things they add to their tea, coffee, and yogurt. But, how? I have a surefire way to get rid of it all!

Story: I used to drink iced coffee extra milk, extra sugar, my hot tea with milk and sugar, and my plain yogurt with lots of honey and mix-ins. Now I drink my iced coffee with a splash of milk and once in a while a splash of sugar free hazelnut syrup, my hot tea completely plain, and my yogurt plain- with fruit, not sugar/splenda/honey etc.

How I did it: It was a bit of a long process, but totally worth it. All it requires is using a little less of the substance (sugar, milk, honey, whatever) until it is down to zero or almost zero. If you do that realllly slowly you will not even notice the difference, and before you know it an iced coffee with extra milk and extra sugar will taste disgustingly creamy and sweet to you!

Example: Hot Tea (since it was the hardest habit for me to break)
When I started drinking tea regularly I drank a cup of it with 2 teaspoons of sugar and whole milk. Below is my progression to tea without anything added in.
Start: 2 tsp sugar and whole milk
then...
-2 tsp sugar and skim milk
-1.5 tsp sugar and less skim milk
-1 tsp sugar and only a splash of skim milk
-.5 tsp sugar and a splash of skim
-2 equals and splash of skim
-1 equal and splash of skim
-1/2 splenda (splenda was new then so I used it) and splash of skim
-1/2 splenda
-NOTHING.

Now if I have sweetened tea it tastes wayyyyy too sweet. However, I will say that with my yogurt once in a while I will add a couple of chocolate chips to make it more decadent.

If I could do it, you can do it too!

Nonna's Diet Tips

My nonna is like a second mother to me. She is in town from Trieste, Italy. She used to live with my family 6 months out of the year, but now she only comes for a few months at a time... She is turning 86 this week, and doesn't look a day over 70.. seriously. My grandmother is beautiful, strong, independent, and has the most beautiful skin in the world. Also, she has maintained a beautiful figure all these years.. And she doesn't hesitate to tell me how. Nonna is not a fan of all this "dieting". She thinks that it has gotten out of control and she thinks that's why Americans are fat! But that's for another discussion... Today, I would like to share Nonna's diet tips (diet as in how to maintain a healthy, strong, lean body by what you put in your mouth day in and day out for your whole life).

1. Eat everything, but not too much of everything.
2. Don't eat huge meals, but rather eat smaller meals throughout the day.
3. Get up from the table without having a "hard stomach" (hard to translate that word from her dialect)i.e. get up from the table like you could still eat more.
4. Reserve sweets for very special occasions and not as a daily indulgence.
5. Don't be afraid of carbs! Eat something carb heavy at lunch and a protein + veggies for dinner..
6. Don't eat too much cheese. (she thinks cheese should be an indulgence and you should only add a little to your pasta or meal and never just eat it straight up with crackers)

A sample of what Nonna eats in a day:

Breakfast (right when she wakes up):
-Espresso or coffee with milk and no sweetener
-A brioche or crossiant with just a tiny bit of jam to sweeten it

Morning Snack:
-Half an apple with some yogurt (she swears the yogurt makes the apple AMAZING haha)

Lunch:
-80-100 grams of pasta with some kind of sauce and a teeny piece of bread.. examples of sauces are: a small eggplant sauteed with some olive oil and spices, or a baby can of tuna with the oil left in it, or fresh tomatoes sliced with basil, or some homemade tomato sauce with some peppers tossed in, etc.
-Seltzer water

Afternoon Snack:
-the other half of her apple

Dinner:
-a piece of chicken or lamb, or steak, or pork or or or (about 3-4 oz)
-a very large salad with olive oil, salt, and lemon. Sometimes she adds an egg or some artichoke hearts or some other kind of fun addition
-And water, maybe mixed with a little wine

Nonna always emphasizes quantity (not too much) and quality (the best). I find her tips very helpful, and take the fact that she is 86 without a single health issue besides diabetes due to age to be a sign that she must be doing something right!!

**Let me just add a few comments. My grandmother thinks I am beautiful, yet always finds the need to give me diet tips (yet pushes me to eat more haha), and style tips (although I wear my cutest outfits around her haha). She makes me laugh, because those two topics come up in every conversation we have haha. Also, she thinks that on special occasions we SHOULD indulge, because that is the best time to do it- when surrounded by people we love, celebrating something beautiful. And she always believes that one should really enjoy his/her meals, and to therefore eat everything, but in small quantities.

Inspired!

I am totally inspired by Linz from loveofoats and Chandra from her many names, same blog blog haha!

Since I injured myself after the half marathon I have been nothing but a Moody McGee! Without my daily runs I feel lethargic and always have this weird appetite. I am not hungry but I have this weird feeling in my tummy and I want to eat everything in sight! It is SO WEIRD!

I am going with my best girl friend to Miami in 8 days and I want to feel good and look good- as I had been before my stupid fall at the half marathon!

So my goals starting RIGHT NOW are:

1. only eat when hungry
2. choose the healthy stuff
3. no mindless snacking (which started up after my injury- annoying)
4. Plan ahead!
5. Get enough rest
6. Listen to PB and actually take care of my ankle i.e. ice it, elevate it etc..

Even without the exercise I should be able to keep in shape!!! What's up with this bad eating these last 4 days?! I feel yucky even though I know I am still losing weight! I need my runs!

2 Sardines in a beautiful bed?!

PB and I are trying to figure out how to decorate his/our condo when I move down there.. I totally LOVE my furniture (and it is much nicer than his- sorry PB) but there is one dilemma...

the bed.

When we get married we will obviously be sharing a bed. And I have a LOVELY bed. But... it is only a FULL. When I was doing my bedroom I didn't think I would have space for a queen and I didn't imagine finding PB, so I just went for the full.

Is that way too small of a bed? Will we be fighting for space and blankets and comfort? Does anyone else sleep 2 to a bed in a full?

We could just buy a new bed, but mine was custom made and I reallllllly love it. If the full is a no go, then it will be demoted to the guest room.

Thoughts?

tapdancingbrain?!?!

So, PB has decided to really enter the blogging world. I made him change his blog name because he is such an honest and open guy and I wouldn't want just anyone to be able to google him and find him! (Is anyone else as neurotic as I am about this? I think with me it is tough because I will be searching for jobs in a year and the kind that I want won't be too happy to see my blog!!)

Anywayyyyyy... he needs some lovin' and encouragement! Feel free to stop by and say hello!!!

tapdancingbrain.blogspot.com

P.S. Can you tell he loves penguins? and, er, happy feet? What a silly fella!

Annoying little habits...

My friend H and I went for a little ice cream after searching here and there and everywhere for vases for the engagement party. While perusing the flavor board (chocolate peanut butter frozen yogurt vs. soft serve swirl) we noticed a cute little older couple getting in line behind us... and then slowly creeping forward until they were practically on top of us. As in.. I could feel his breath on my shoulder, smell his breath, if I turned around I would have been able to kiss him on the lips without moving an inch.

WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?

Have people no sense of space? He and his wife (but mostly he) were TOTALLY invading our personal space area. I understand in the States we have a larger personal space requirement, but, seriously?!?!

It took everything in my power to not freak out.

PB = ???????????????

PB and I just registered at.... what else? PB! haha!

I normally don't spend money at Pottery Barn because I love too many other stores but I just FELL in love with the Emma Collection there. I have been looking for a classic, beautiful white dinnerware set for a year, and alas, I have found it! And right in time to register! And my PhillyBoy says he loves it too! Hopefully, he is telling the truth!

I just did it online since we won't have time to go use the gun together in the store! Not sure what else we will register for besides the amazing KitchenAid mixer and maybe some linens for the bed and table, and towels. We pretty much have everything we need I think?

We could REALLY use a new bedroom set since his is yucky and old and mine is only a full (we will use mine in the guest room). But... I don't think it is appropriate to register for something like that! way too much $$$ We might end up doing it in the end anyway so we can get the awesome post-event 20% off!!!!

From PB we registered for:
12 dinner plates
12 salad plates
12 soup bowls
12 cereal bowls
12 teacups and saucers
16 mugs (we drink TONS of tea and hot water)
sugar bowl and creamer
teapot
water/iced tea pitcher
salt and pepper shakers
cake stand
serving bowl
fruit bowl
2 serving platters

Are 12 settings too much? Too little? We have TONS of family and I host parties all the time but I think 12 was a good number?

I don't want to ask anyone to buy me anything and I am NOT going to, but... well... I really would love to be able to buy all this stuff for 20%! AND if someone DOES want to buy us a gift at least hopefully they will find this registry!

Wedding Stuff Part 1 of a ZILLION!

PB and I have been engaged for 8 days! And, of course, being the virgo that I am, I have already gotten a wedding binder put together as well as lots of other stuff. We are meeting with the priest as well as the reception venue today, and picking out engagement invites tomorrow- We are on a roll! I think this blog will have lots of wedding stuff until we get married, because it is all I can think about!

The biggest things happening in my life soon are:
1. My nonna is coming from Italy and will be here Thursday! She lived with my family for 6 months of every year until I went to college. Now she comes for about 3 out of the year. I love having her around.. she is like a mom to me!
2. My cousin is getting married on June 6th! gonna find a dress tomorrow!
3. PB and I are having our engagement party at the end of the summer!
4. PB and I are getting MARRIED yipee! Next July...
5. I am moving to PHILLY! I can't wait to get married and live with my soon-to-behusband!

Lots of other stuff too for sure, but these are the biggest and most exciting to me right now!!!

P.S. I made inspiration boards for the engagement party and wedding but I can't figure out how to convert them to blogger friendly so I took a junky pic with my cell phone!!!

The engagement party is going to be at our (PB's) church hall in PHL. White tablecloths, heavy duty disposable plates, vases with whole lemons and limes, and homemade napkin rings (made by my future MIL and I!!!). The food will be Middle Eastern... kebab, pilaf, bulghur, grilled veggies, salad, hummus, olives, baba ganoush, and ??. Penguin Lemontinis! Buffet style. PB's friends are going to take care of music.







My inspiration for the wedding reception is the beautiful bird of paradise flower. It was my mom's favorite flower, and I love the bright, summery, happy colors. I love the memories that flower has for me. PB loves the idea too.

Roses!!!!

I am awkwardly icing my ankle at my desk while I work, and someone just came in with a delivery for me.. what a special delivery it was! roses!

from PB, of course! It's the first time he buys me roses! And he sent them from my favorite place! And they are the people we are hiring for our wedding!

yayayay! I'm so in love...



what a sweet man!

My fianceeeeee just posted this on craigslist

Cox Rhode Races (Providence, RI)
Reply to: pers-668647389@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-05-05, 12:42PM EDT


To the asshole who tripped my fiance because he thought that those 2 seconds made a difference in his marathon time - I want you to know that she sprained her ankle, scratched her three day old engagement ring, cut her hands, and cut her knee severely - all because you don't know how to run in a pack of people. The least you could have done was to stop and see if she was alright.

Thank you to the wonderful people who let us use their cell phones/umbrellas and who actually showed that there are good people in this world.

To the pathetic jerkoff who felt that it was appropriate to pass someone and run two inches in front of them, you are actually very lucky I didn't see you.




* Location: Providence, RI
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests


PostingID: 668647389

he makes me laugh, and smile. too funny!

Sundays are the potholes of life. Half Marathon Results.

Is big, amazing news always followed by bad news?

So the Half Marathon was yesterday.... It did not go so well.

We got there early, waited in the horrendous bathroom lines, tied and retied our shoes, and were ready to go! It was downpouring, but we were there to do it! We started and went up the first hill and turned to the right. PB high fived me and said wow this is going to be so much fun! He did a "ring check" where I made sure my ring was still on and let it sparkle in the rain haha..

Well... about a quarter to a half of a mile in someone tried to get in front of me.. (I would like to add that he was a major jerk- he pretty much pushed me, in a way) I was only looking straight ahead... not to the sides.. I stepped to the side and... stepped straight into a deep, wet, pothole, and fell flat on my face. Yep, I'm not lying.. this really happened. I tried to get up, determined that I could keep going, but I couldn't even move. My fiance (=D) scooped me up and brought me to the side so no one would trample us... and the ambulance came (I'm still not joking)

Four hours later and I left the hospital with a sprained ankle, crutches, tons of abrasions on my left thigh, a bruised and cut up knee, and cuts and bruises on my hands (and I scratched the band of my engagement ring! :'( ) I am taking it today to be polished (and resized).

I am SO upset. About 12 weeks of preparations and training for what? A stupid injury from a stupid pothole.. It kind of said to be future husband.. This is what you're in for, baby!

P.S. It was so ridiculous that we were actually cracking up by the end, unless that was the painkillers they gave me? Who knows.

P.P.S. PB (my FIANCE) was so amazing! He scooped me right up like Superman and brought me to the side, and he really took care of me. He is so amazing, I am even more in love with him. (Sorry we couldn't do the race PB!!!!)

Engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited to add.. the proposal!

so how did it happen?

PB was picking me up to go to dinner with his dad, my dad, the bishop, and a few other friends. He was running late (30 minutes!!!) so I told him I would meet him at the restaurant but he insisted he needed to freshen up a bit first! I offered to meet him outside but he INSISTED on coming in. So he rushed past me with his suit jacket all crumpled up in his hands (obv hiding something, but I didn't know what!). He went upstairs and I followed him up there. He closed the bedroom door and then came out a second later and went into the bathroom and asked me to get his cell phone for him from under the pillow in the bedroom. So I did, but I knew something weird was going on because why would his cell be under the pillow all of a sudden? So I lift up the pillow and see a ring box, opened, with the ring showing.. I freaked out and slammed the pillow back down on top of the box and his cell haha! He crept (is that a word?) into the room and asked me if I found "it"? I said ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod (x about a zillion) and he ran over with the ring, got down on his knee and said "Sabrina, Will you marry me?"

Of course I said yes and started crying (which, by the way, I told myself I was NEVER going to be one of those girls that cried!!!) and we hugged and said some nice things to each other (sorry, personal just for us!) and finally I got to look at the ring.. It was kind of hard to see it through my tears though! I was so so happy! oh, and it is so pretty!

So then we headed off to the restaurant and had a LOVELY dinner!

He was going to wait and ask me at the end of the half marathon but he was way too excited! I am happy he didn't wait because now we get the whole weekend to celebrate and have fun! And I love how it was so simple, and so... us! It was so perfect...

Side note: He asked my dad a couple of weeks ago when he had lunch with him and one of the artists... and my dad said something like... If it was not ok then he would NEVER have allowed her to go to Philadelphia (to visit)! And that he loves PB! :)

So now we are engaged and I am already working on the guest list and meeting with the Westin coordinator tomorrow so that we can get things rolling! I think either July 11th or 25th of next year (2009). I'll let you all know for sure next week. I wanted 7/18/2009 which would have been our exact 2 year anniversary but unfortunately the Westin is already booked that day and I really want to have the reception there as it fits all of the criteria 1. in Providence 2. a hotel since lots of people are coming from Philly 3. has the capacity for our guest list and 4. is pretty!!!!

Oh and in case you were going to ask... I AM GOING TO MOVE TO PHILADELPHIA! You are all going to have to come and visit! I am not going to move until we get married but I am so excited!!!

I can't wait to be married and I can't believe I can now say "ohhh, yes, my fianceeeeee" and soon enough HUSBAND! I found the right man, and I am so excited we are starting our life together!
**********************************************************************8

Remember how I said something good was going to happen because my mom gave me a sign?

Well, it did!!!

PB and I got engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so happy, and so in love, and I am so excited to marry him!

More details later/tomorrow, have lots to do!

I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy One Year Anniversary!

oh, how time flies!

I have officially been not only a condo owner, but living IN my condo for one year! With a roomie too!

In honor of such a beautiful anniversary I thought I would share a couple of pictures of my bedroom, as it is today... *note: PhillyBoy's sutff is under the bureau :( It has no other home and HAS to go there boohoo!






A really bizarre thing to note... I have a few pics hanging to the left of my bed.. one of them is my mom, cousin and I... and it must have fallen RIGHT before I took the picture... which is weird because whenever something really good is about to happen something happens with that specific picture (not to be too spiritual in this venue but my mom passed away 7 years ago and I feel like she gives me lots of signs of her presence in different ways.. this is one random way)... weird. wonder what's coming?


Also... see the penguin on my side table? It was PB's when he was a little guy (little penguin? hehe).. he gave it to me! cute, ay?