For Jersey Girl

Hi Mrs. Laffey! This one is for you...

Things I plan (Lord willing) to do before I die:
1. See David grow up healthy and happy
2. Travel with my husband and son
3. Finish scrapbooking
4. Learn to Golf
5. Live at the beach

5 Things I can do:
1. Teach scrapbooking
2. Be a friend
3. Give advice
4. Work hard & long
5. Shop

5 Things I cannot do (yet):
1. Speak another language
2. Work slow
3. Give up
4. Be quiet
5. Be around birds

5 Things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Sense of Humor
2. Honesty
3. Sincerity
4. Realness
5. Strong hands

5 Things I say most often:
1. I love you
2. David!
3. Hi Babe
4. I hate this job (when I am at work)
5. Thanks.

5 Celebrity crushes:
1. Jon Bon Jovi
2. Tino Martinez
3. Steve Burton
4. Michael Madsen
5. Tommy Lee (my bad boy)

5 People I want to do this:
1. Tracey
2. Amy
3. Derrick
4. Laurie (ditto on this from Laney & Mom, fix the computer already!!!)
5. Mike

Football, Traffic and Visitors

It's been a while since I've posted - work has been insane. Since I wrote last, we have gone to the Rutgers football game, I've sat in LOTS of aweful traffic and Steve's parents have come to visit. The Rutgers game was on a beautiful Saturday afternoon unlike last year when we were freezing and wet. The NERDS played the pre-game party and were terrific. David had a blast meeting the Scarlet Knight and playing in all the kids games. I did not have so much fun. Steve decided to park himself near the beer truck and left me to run after David. When it came game time, we piled into the stadium to sweat through the game. The game really was great - they won and made lots of nice plays, but it was HOT. I do not usually complain, but I was not expecting it, so I was not appropriately dressed. My parents, David and I watched the game and David was SO into it. He was yelling "tackle him" and "touchdown". Steve was no where to be found - probably not feeling too good. After the game we came back to our house for dinner and to watch more football. Overall the day was good. Ok, now for the traffic report. NJ must have the worst roads because everywhere you, go no matter what time, there is traffic. I spent most of my time last week in traffic on the NJ Turnpike and Rt. 280. Thursday was the topper - Theresa and I left Newark at 4:40 pm. I did not walk in my door until after 7 pm! The worst part was that we were smooth sailing until we hit exit 10. So from exit 10 to exit 9 we sat for 2 hours! It was aweful and poor Theresa was afraid she would run out of gas! We did not run out of gas - thank God - and we had each other to keep us sane, but we were not happy. Friday I worked from home and it was great. I woke up about 20 minutes before I started work and shuffled to the computer. While it was coming up, I made myself tea. My parents showed up to watch David and he woke up a little later. My day was going well but I had a lot of work to do. I took my shower on my lunch break. David went down for a long nap about 2/2:30 pm right before my in-laws came in. My parents chatted with them until I was done with work. After Steve got home, the 5 of us went to one of our favorite restaurants - Covella's in Sayreville. Our dinner was fantastic. On Saturday Steve worked and his parents went to visit friends, so David and I ran some errands. He was such a good boy. After he and I napped, we went to my Aunt Carol's for John's 22nd birthday. We all had a real nice time. Sunday Tracey and the kids came at 10 am and saw my in-laws off around noon. They stayed till 2:30 and headed to Medivel Times for a birthday party. Jill, Joe and Mike were over watching football. After everyone was gone, Steve and I made dinner and the 3 of us ate. I scrapped while watching the Tommy Lee goes to College finale and football. David wrestled with Steve and watched Mickey Mouse movies and then it was time for bed. I love going to bed - especially when I've had a crazy couple of days. I don't even remember falling asleep. This morning I sat in more traffic to come to work - I sure hope my rides home are better than last week!

Are You Ready for Some FOOTBALL?

YES I AM! Tonight kicks off the 2005/2006 NFL season and I could not be more excited. Even though it is a week night, we are having a Kick Off party. I stopped at Sam's to pick up appetizers and Steve is off to get the beer. I will be drinking soda, cause I do not like beer and do not want to wake up with a headache. I figured I would blog before our guests arrive. Not that many people are coming because most of my family are teachers and have started back to work this week. It does not matter, I'll be watching the Pats and the Raiders play the other greatest sport in the world and cheering for my fantasy quaterback, Kerry Collins. I can not wait!

My Little Man 

Back to Work

When I woke up this morning I was hit in the face with reality - vacation is officially over! I was MISERABLE, but I stumbled to the shower to get read for work. After I snuck into David's room to kiss him good-bye, I got in my car for the dreaded ride to Newark. The ride got better after I picked up my partner in hell, Theresa. I had not seen her in a while - she was on vacation and then I went away. We chatted our way up the turnpike. Once we got in the office we were innundated with work, so the day went by quickly. We could not wait to get out of there. We were back in EB before 5 pm. After making a return at the GAP, I was home. It is amazing that as soon as I see David's face - work does not even exist. I love that little guy. When he saw me he asked "Mommy, want to play Elmo Limbo with me?" How can I say no? So we limboed. Steve came home soon after and we all piled in our bed. David loves to jump and tackle us. I have to admit, we love it too. I cooked a great taco dinner and we all ate like kings. As I write this, David and Steve are getting ready for bed. Soon, I'll be reading a bedtime story and kissing David good-night. Did I mention that I love that little guy? Oh, yeah, I did.

Hershey Park 

Cape May Zoo 

Skee Ball 

30th Birthday Party 

A great week

Where should I begin? I guess I'll start with Saturday 8/27. My parents threw me a 30th birthday party at Gambino's restaurant in New Brunswick. My sister came up from FL and my sister, brother-in-law and the kids came from PA. Tracey, Rich and the kids stayed with us from Friday to Sunday. On Saturday, Tracey and I spray tanned each other & shopped for new outifts. I got my hair cut, colored and blown out. Then we were off to the party. There were 60 of my closest family and friends in attendance. Rich made a great playlist for the party on his I-Pod for entertainment. The food was fantastic and we all had a great time. Our babysitter Megan came and took care of David, Ally and Ty. I even hired a photographer - they took over 200 pictures. I can not wait to see them. After the party we came back to my house to party some more. Tracey and kids were exhausted and went to sleep. The rest of us just hung out having some beers (in my case wine coolers). Our friend Matt got to stop by after his shift (he's a cop in EB). I really enjoyed my big day. Sunday was all about recovering - I was not feeling my best. I did open my presents. I got some great stuff. Gift Certificates, Money & Jewelery. My sister gave me Tiffany earrings and my sister and brother-in-law gave me a Tiffany necklace. Monday we left for our vacation to Wildwood. We checked into our motel and decided to take a ride to Cape May. David fell asleep on the ride. We walked through the Cape May shops and got some italian ice. When we got back to our motel, we cleaned up and headed to dinner at the Lobster Shack. After dinner, we hit the boardwalk. David loved the rides - there were a lot for his size. My parents came down to visit on Tuesday. We were laying out by the pool when they arrived. David loved the pool. He even learned to jump off the side. Steve took David fishing at the bay, but he got tired so I walked him back and he fell asleep in the stroller. I got ready for dinner while he napped. We all went to The Crab House for dinner. It was delicious. After we ate, we took a walk to the dock so David could watch the boats. Then we headed to the boardwalk. There are 3 piers on the Wildwood boardwalk, so we went to a different one. This one had even more rides for David. He was even big enough to go on a roller coaster with Steve! I was a nervous nelly, but he did great. We went into one of the arcades so David could play skee-ball. While he was doing that, my Mom and I played video poker and she won 125 tokens! David was able to 'buy' a basketball and some other little prizes - he was SO happy. After my Dad had his Mack's Pizza, we headed back to the motel. My parents left and went to AC, we just went to sleep. Wednesday we had a delicious breakfast at Samuel's Pancake House then hung out by the pool. For lunch we went to Moore's Inlet. David was SO excited - Scoop & Muck were working on the beach! The food was good and Steve got a free pitcher of beer. We all took a nap when we got back to our room. When we woke up, we got ready and headed to Schellenger's for dinner. What a great place - great food and great atmosphere. We again hit the boardwalk after dinner. This time I took David on some rides. My favorite is the Big Slide so we went on that. After the rides, we went and got our picture taken at Old Time Portraits. It came out great! We stopped for ice cream on our way back to the motel. Thursday we checked out of the motel and headed to PA. On our way, we stopped at the Cape May Zoo. There is no fee, but you can give a donation. It is a great place. There are lots of animals and it is very clean. I am very glad we stopped. We arrived at Tracey & Rich's around 2 pm. No one was home yet, so I showered. When Tracey got home, we all walked down to the bus stop to pick up the kids. The kids were so excited we were there. It was Ally's birthday so after dinner, Tracey had some neighbors over for cake. We hit the sack early for the next days adventure. Friday we went to Hershey Park! All 7 of us packed in Tracey & Rich's Pilot for the ride. We had an awesome day. The park is HUGE! First we went through the tour and got free candy. Then we were off to the rides. The kids went on some of theirs first and then Tracey and Steve headed to the roller coasters and believe me, there are a lot to choose from. They also have lots of water rides. The park was not that crowded and the kids were well behaved. On the way home the kids fell alseep and the adults sang. It was one of the best days I've ever had. We left PA Saturday morning and headed home. When we got home, Zach was SO happy to see us. The floor was full of dog hair, but everything else was great. Megan had been letting him out and feeding him - she is wonderful. Steve cleaned the floor and I started the laundry. We just relaxed and enjoyed being home. Vacations are great, but nothing beats your own home. More about this weekend to come...

GMA 

Thirty years ago today...

I was born! I can not believe it, but I am 30 - YIKES! Age has never really mattered to me before, but I will admit, 30 matters. I do not necessarily mean in a bad way, but I do feel something.

For those of you that do not know, I was born on my Father's 27th birthday. We always celebrate together, so back in December I wrote an email to Good Morning America requesting show tickets for today. Just this past June, I received an email back granting my request. My Dad made reservations at the Doubletree Suites Hotel in Times Square for last night - great idea - because we needed to be at the studio by 6:15 am this morning. So after work yesterday, Steve and I took the train into NY and met up with my Mom, Dad and David. First we went to the World of Disney store. This place is awesome. It is 3 floors and on the 3rd floor is a meet and greet area with the Characters. Goofy and Max were there so David got his picture with them. Then we headed to dinner at Mickey Mantle's overlooking Central Park. The food was fantastic and David loved all the Yankee stuff (so did I). When we got back to our room, my Dad went out and got Dunkin Donuts for dessert - YUMMY! This morning we left our hotel at 6:05 am for the short trek to ABC studios. We were inside the studio for the taping of a few segments and it was really cool to see the faces I watch every morning in person. After the show we were hungry so we ate breakfast at a 50's diner. We went back to the hotel to pack and wait for Toys R Us to open. Once we got to Toys R Us, David played with the Bob the Builder toys and went on the Ferris Wheel with Steve. They had a GREAT time. While my Dad was checking us out of the Hotel, the rest of us walked to Tiffany's for my birthday gifts. Steve bought me a beautiful bracelet and ring. I LOVE them. We came back home and my Mom and I did some shopping. After dinner we had orange cake (Dad's favorite) and sang Happy Birthday. Today was a really special and fabulous day. On Saturday, my parents are giving me a big 30th B'day party - I am really looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes.

What a life! 

Didn't have to spend a penny

I have needed new blush and eye shadow for a while now. I use MAC make-up and it is not sold in every store. I had earned a $50 Bloomingdale's gift card and planned to use that to buy my make up. I just could never find the time to get to the Bridgewater Mall. Today I found the time. Laura-Ann, David and I headed to Bridgewater. We stopped off to drop Steve's lunch off to him at work (he was putting in some OT). He surprised me by offering to keep David company while Laura-Ann and I ran to Bloomies. I spent $30+ at the MAC counter and $17+ at the Lancome counter so my gift card covered it. I didn't have to spend a penny! We walked through the mall to Janie & Jack so Laura-Ann could purchase a baby shower gift and then stopped off at Auntie Anne's pretzels for a drink and pretzel. We picked David up from Steve and headed home. David had a great time with Steve at work. They played basketball and kickball in the gym and then went to Steve's office. Laura-Ann went home, she was going to a party and David and I picked up Burger King. After lunch it was nap time for both of us. Steve came home and napped too. Our neighbors came over to check out our addition - they're real nice people. Then, Steve, David and I ate dinner. We were looking forward to tonight's Giants vs Brown pre-season game, but as of now it is delayed due to the weather. I am sure we'll find something else to do.

All Better

I can finally say that I am feeling better. The decongestant has worked wonders! I am still taking my meds - the doctor says to finish the bottle. I am more than happy to oblige so I do not get sick again.

In July I did a Creative Memories class for a woman who find me online. She lives here in EB and I found out at her party that she used to be a CM consultant. She had asked me about signing up again and sure enough she faxed in her agreement on Monday. I am so very excited about building my business with Diane. I can not wait to help her get started. I am doing another class tomorrow night for Diane's niece in Edison. I'll let you know how I do.

David has been napping since I got home. I do not think this is a good thing. I was up all night with him last night and I have a feeling I am going to be in the same situation tonight. Does anyone have any advice on getting a 2 year old to go to bed at a decent time and stay there? We were very lucky with him as an infant - he slept through the night starting at 3 weeks old. I guess we are paying our dues now.

Can you hear me now?

NO! Can you believe that my ear is STILL clogged? Luckily my Mom went to see our doctor and picked me up a prescription for a decongestant. I'll let you know if it works.

We had a pretty boring weekend due to my sickness. The only day we had plans for was Saturday. Steve's friend Jaime from work invited us to his daughter's 3rd birthday party. They live in Somerset and have a nice house with a built in pool. There was no way I was swimming but when we arrived Jaime's 12 year old nephew offered to take David in the pool and he loved it. It was very hot and I felt really crappy. We did not stay too long, but we did stay long enough to see Dora! Jaime's sister dressed up as Dora - the poor girl was sweating her butt off. David was SO happy. He really likes Dora. Jaime's family is really nice - he had a great wife and an adorable daughter. I am glad I got to meet them. When we got home, David and I took a nap and Steve headed to the Fair to help Walter out again. I slept for about 2 hours and woke up feeling better than I had in days. David slept about an hour more and when he woke up, we headed to the Fair. We spent the evening with Laurie, Walter and Steve. It was a great time. I really love Walter and Laurie - they are a lot like us. Sunday I was back to feeling miserable. Steve put up the rest of our fence and I cleaned a little. Overall - it was a boring day. Today it was back to work. The day went by fast cause I had a lot to do. My parents had brought dinner over (left overs from the weekend). It was so nice to have a good meal that I did not have to cook or prepare. The rest of the evening we played with David - he is full of energy. He is still up as I write this! So that is what is going on. I am going to try and persuade David to go to sleep. I know I can not wait to hit the hay!

Aren't they pretty? 

A Sweet Surprise

I am STILL sick! What was supposed to be a 24 hour bug has now turned into a sever inner ear infection and a URI. I am on antibiotics and ear drops for pain. I do not think the drops are doing much because I am in a lot of pain. Needless to say, I am NOT a happy camper. I am lucky to have wonderful parents who have been babysitting for David even with me at home. There is NO way I could have taken care of him and myself feeling this lousy. I am also VERY lucky to have Steve. Although he has missed most of my illness he has been concerned and even came home with a Sweet Surprise. When I say he has 'missed my illness', I mean that during the day he is at work and on Tuesday and Thursday night he was helping his cousin Walter with the Middlesex County Fair. See Walter and his father (Steve's Uncle D) are electricians. Every year they are hired by the Fair to do all the electrical work and each night they have to be there. Steve was SO happy when Walter asked him to help. He really likes hanging out with Walter and they do not get to do it that much. They both work a lot and have other responsibilities. I was also very glad that they were together - family is very important to me. Last night when Steve walked in the door, I was still awake. I was too uncomfortable to sleep and missed Steve. I could not believe my eyes! Steve brought home 2 dozen roses for me! What a Sweet Surprise, I was really excited. I LOVE them. He told me that Walter did the same for Laurie - what nice guys we have. When I came downstairs this morning the smell of the roses woke me right up and reminded me that Steve was thinking about me. It made another day of feeling crappy a little brighter.

Here's the mulch and railroad ties 

BAMM!

That is how this sickness I have came on. I was at work yesterday and started to feel a scratchy throat. I got Advil and a throat losenge from a co-worker. I felt better. I took David to the Middlesex Cty Fair and was still OK. After we ate and were walking around in the unbearable heat, my legs started to feel like Jello and I was very achey and weak. By the time I got to my car, I was not sure I could make it home. Thank God I did, but when I got home I was SO SICK. I went upstairs and got into my PJs. I had to get David ready for bed and he was not helping. I finally gave up and layed on the couch. I was FREEZING - so I put a blanket on. David was not tired and did not understand how I was feeling so he was jumping all over me. I was in so much pain because of my aching - I was actually crying. The only thing I could imagine to do was to go upstairs in my bed and turn out all the lights and hope he would fall asleep. After another 20 minutes of him playing in the dark, he did fall asleep. This whole time I was so uncomfortable - I did not know what to do. I tossed and turned, put the covers on and took them off, I turned on the fan and turned it off. Steve finally got home at about midnight from helping his cousin Walter with the fair. I have never been so happy to see him. I had only been home for 4 hours but it seemed like a lifetime because I was so miserable. He put David in his crib and I took Tylenol PM and FINALLY fell asleep. I woke up this morning to my Mom bringing me tea and toast - she had this bug earlier this week. That made me feel a little better. I still feel weak, but my throat is a little better and the aching has passed. David went with my parents to LBI to visit some friends, so I am resting to get over this thing. Hopefully, I'll be back to my old self tomorrow.