Where the $*#^! have you been?

My oh my, it's been an awfully long time. Yes, I've been "ghost" but I've missed you. REALLY. Today I was reading through some of my favorite blogs (because believe it or not, I do still read and try and catch up with you all every once in a while) and while reading Katie's (one of my personal favs) read a line in one of her posts that basically said, the longer you go without blogging the easier it is to well....ditch it. (I'm paraphrasing). Not because you don't love doing it, but because you get out of the habit doing other things or in my case, get lazy.

It's almost like working out. In the beginning, you're all gung-ho, going every day and giving it your all. But as time goes on you feel more comfortable so you take a day off...(and get lazy)...and then one day turns to two and two turns into a week and a week turns into a month and the next thing you know - BOOM! You've missed SEVEN whole months of working out (blogging). Shame on me. I know. But I hope you understand.

Given the fact that I've been completely incognito, I figured I'd answer the question most commonly asked: Where the $*#^! have you been?

December 2008
Well, December was a whirl-wind I tell ya. I basically gave up friends, family and damn near food for the GMAT, which I took December 18th. I wish I could tell you how wonderful I did and how I scored a 700+ and now I'm going to Harvard or UPenn. Uh, no. December 18th was a crappy day. The GMAT kicked my tail after endless hours of studying. In fact, I've never works SO damn hard to not see the fruits of my labor. It was depressing. I decided I wouldn't give up, but I needed time to decompress.

The holidays were awesome though. My cutie patootie Isabella celebrated her 1st birthday, Amy had her annual holiday party. Overll: Good time, good food, good family and good friends. I am blessed and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank the man upstairs for all that I have.

January 2009
I rang in the New Year in the city (aka NYC) with the some girls of mine (freezing my tucchus off, but whatevs) and as the clock sriked midnight I made a vow to me, myself and I to try and live a happy life and make this the year for great things. It was a year to get finances in order, take my job to the next level and to ditch an BS/drama and negative energy. I think 6 months in, I'm doing a pretty good job.

I went to the inauguration in Washington, DC which was life changing. Freezing outside for a gazillion hours and getting a frost bit face was totally worth it. After the inauguration, I made it back down to the MD/DC area for my company's national sales meeting where I learned that my name had been thrown out to take on a new position. I went back and I interviewed for the position the last week in January...

I also celebrated 4 birthdays: Grandma & my wonderful friends A, K and S.

Oh and I told the guy I picked up at the Halloween party in October to kick rocks. <-- yes, those were my exact words. He was being a prick and knowing my new years resolution aka vow to myself to not deal withe the drama, I told him to beat it and I never looked back. Call me sassy, fiesty, or whatever you want...but you want call me a sucker.

February 2009

I GOT THE JOB!!! (and a nice increase in salary too). I did my annual Miami trip (meeting up with some of my Maryland girls) to visit my girl Kim, local radio personality in the area, for her birthday. Hanging out with her is always a good time and we all enjoy catching up. This time we stayed at the Mondrian Hotel (which was fairly new) and enjoyed nice views of the ocean and interesting encounters with Suki, the wall art in the hotel. (Suki is not the name we have her...that was done for us by one of the fantastic bell hop guys).

After I returned from Miami, I went started transitioning into my new role...so much to learn; including forgiveness, which is what I did towards the end of the month. A friend of mine was celebrating her 29th birthday at a club in NYC and I ran into my ex (the one who stomped all over my heart - TWICE) and had a nice long conversation with him (granted not in the most ideal setting) and sqaushed any ill-will or negative feelings, whatsoever. This was so freeing for me and really showed me how much I've grown over the past couple of months or so. It's just so incredibly draining when you put so much energy into loathing someone...

March 2009
As psuedo-spring started to approach (and I say "psuedo" given the fact that it's June and still teeter -tottering between 60 and 80 degrees -gotta love NJ weather) I got into party mode. The new job was kicking along with my new salary, St. Patty's, March Madness; all good times.

Mid-march my best friend college girlfriends came into town (one flew in from Chicago, one drove up from Maryland) to join me and the Jersey gang for our annual St. Patty's day parade and bar crawl. It's a tradition now that the girls come in to town for the "holiday" and we just party and have a good time all day long. This year we had a few extras as well, which made for a good time. My one friend S was the biggest trooper of all and partied with us until 4pm, when she left to go to Florida. I mean, who can party ALL day, drinking and crawling and then catch a flight without feeling like you want to puke your brains out? My girl S. :) Needless to say, the girls were wild and the boys were watching. And the two buys with us were serious troopers - Jimmy, my best friend Kristin's husband and one of the "other" extras (ok, envision this) my best friend Kristin's, husband Jimmy's childhood best friend Jon. I'd met Jon before at the wedding (he was Jimmy's best man, I was a bridesmaid) and we chatted a bit then. Don't know what it was about March 14th - blame it on the alcohol - but I was alerted that Jon and I had a heavy flirtation going on. After hanging out into the wee hours of the morning, I confessed to my girls the next day that I indeed had a crush. Of course, being the bold one that I am, I requested to be facebook friends (thank you technology!) and the next thing you know, we were chatting through facebook messages. A week of that later, and we finally spoke on the phone and I have never gone a day without talking to him since. He is the most fabulous man of all the fabulous men who don't say fabulous. (Sex and the City anyone?) Our first date was at this fabulous spot called the Martini Bar. Over martinis and a dinner, we discovered that while we're very different in some ways, we're also very much alike. He's awesome. Period.

Also, as Maid of Honor to my best friend, me along with the other maids through her a kick ass shower filled with color (lime, hot pink, black and white), laughter, lots of gifts and love. I think she had a great time and that was all I cared about while planning it. We tried to add lots of little personal touches...and I think she noticed all of the effort and caring that went into the planning.

April 2009
April 2nd marked my 28th birthday (old hag, much?) where I celebrated via a casual Thirsty Thursday Happy Birthday happy hour at one of my favorite local bars with many of my favorite people. They just so happen to serve these glasses of wine that I like to call fish bowls. Four fishbowls in, I was a happy 28 year old. During the day Jon surprised me with the most beautiful arrangement of hbd flowers and my co-workers surprised me with some yummy cupcakes. That weekend, I stepped out in my favorite party dress for dinner with Mom to this wonderful new restaurant where we chatted up the owners and made friends with the bartenders. It was a great night and I felt incredibly blessed.

The second major duty of being MOH came this month, too. S's bridal shower was amazing! We started the nigth off at a showing of Tony and Tina's wedding (HILARIOUSLY FUN!) then went to a rooftop bar for some drinks before ending the night at a NYC hot spot called Whiskey Bar where we got a bottle of something special and danced until our feet fell like they were going to fall off. The next morning was hangover city but so worth it.

May 2009
May 1 was Sin's wedding. Gorgeous. Amazing. Fun. I have never gotten down with the get down like I did that evening. Sitting at a table with my mom, her boyfriend, Jon, Kristin, Jimmy and a few others was so much fun -- I think almost everyone at the table missed their calling to be a comedian. My speech went off without a hitch and I got roaring laughter from the crowd. BUT, above all else, one of my bestestes married the man of her dreams in most beautiful of ceremonies and every little detail expressed them and their love for one another.

After digesting the wedding, the summer fun continued with a nice weekend trip to one of my favorite places - MARYLAND! Hopping between Baltimore, Silver Spring, Columbia and DC is always a good time with some great gals and I conquered my first (and definitely NOT last) Wine in the Woods in Columbia. Wine in the Woods is just that -- a wine festival in the woods -- where everyone just drinks, eats and is merry while hanging with friends and jamming to music. I passed out at 8pm. Needless to say, great day. The next day was Jon's birthday where I flew back up the turnpike to surprise him with balloons and red velvet cupcakes. He loved it! (The following weekend we had a "real" dinner in honor of his b-day).

Memorial Day weekend was a blast. First of all - great weather. I spent a lot of time outside with friends, playing corn hole, drinking beer, wine, sangria (I don't discriminate) and simply relaing. Good times.

I ended the month with a party for my godson and his little brother, where I decided, I so want one (meaning a baby/child) of my own someday. So cute.

June 2009
We're only a few days into June and so far, so good. I spent a lot of time with Jon this week, in between working and working out. (Today I ran 5 miles, yesterday I went to the gym, twice, so yea, I'm back on my grind). I also start my GMAT class again tihs Sunday and I'm trying to have a different perspective on it and not put so much stress on myself and the test. Work is coming along...still learning a lot but enjoying the ride.

So as you can see, a GMAT, an inauguration, a trip to Florida, a few trips to Maryland (business and pleasure), a bar crawl, a 28th birthday, a new job, a new man and a new attitude can really keep a girl busy. I'm glad to be "back" and hope to be more consistent this time around. I can't promise I'll be here every day, but I definitely don't want to write six month at a time updates...life is too much and there's too much to share.

Thanks for reading!

ps - I'm trying to load pics...but I'm having problems so I'll upload when I can.

Guess who's bi-zack?

Yup, That'd be me. I'm back. Relaxed and feeling great. Happy to be getting settled back into normal (aka boring) life but definitely not excited about going back to work tomorrow. At least it's only a half day. I'm waaaay too exhausted to get into any trip details at the moment (as the 6 hour time difference has kicked my tail), however I just wanted to say hello (I've missed you much & I'm reading through all the updates between laundry loads) and share a few pics. In no particular order, but here we go. On the plane on the way in to Hawaii...8 hours and 17 minutes into the plane ride from Chicago to Maui to be exact. (Oh no, it didn't stop there -and THEN to Kona, my final destination). Mind you, I had to be up waaay early (2:45am EST) to catch my first flight out of Newark to O'Hare (3 hour layover in O'Hare), so I'd been up a gazillion hours at this point (I think about 19 hours, with only 3 hours sleep the night before), sucking in that very thin cabin air, starving half to death because I only had a tiny salad (seriously folks, I could have counted the pieces of lettuce on my one hand) -which I was charged $7 for btw - ready to pluck my eyeballs out. Wearing my contacts on a million hour flight?? Yea, not such a great idea. The best part of the plane ride (besides the vodka/sodas I so happily downed) was the movie, "Because I Said So", which is a favorite of my mother's and mine. But let me shut my big fat mouth because at the end of the day, I'd stay up 24 hours straight any day to have the experience again...and props to United for having the BEST flight attendants EVER! They were so cheerful and positive and un-grumpy (yes, I made up a word) that it kept us motivated throughout the flight.
Anna, my bestie and I after we did this ridic trail to see lava spewing (spell?) into the ocean. It was pretty cool. Although, a rocky trail under a hot sun, with no water in hand almost led me to break my ankle twice in exhaustion. No harm, no foul though. It's all good!
Guard rail aside, is this not an awesome view? Hawaii is just gorgeous. If you ever have the opportunity to go, please do!

Ok, back to laundry and catching up on all your blogs!! If I don't fall asleep first...

PS - I also have to update you ladies on Mr. C. He only *gently* stalked me while I was in Hawaii with e-mails, texts and calls. I guess after not responding to his weak e-mail before I left, he finally got the hint (ding, ding, ding!) that something was clearly wrong.

PPS - Sorry if there are spelling errors or if this makes no sense at all. In Hawaii it's only 10-something in the morning, so I'd just be waking up. My plane left Kona at 4:45pm (which was 10:45 pm EST) and technically I have been up since 7am Hawaii time (which was 1pm YESTERDAY July 9 in Jersey) and now it's almost 4:30 pm (EST) so that's more than 24 hours at this point...you understand, right?

MeccAloha...

Greetings from Hawaii! I will keep this short because I have a lot of living (and by living I mean, sun bathing, eating, drinking and shopping) to do, but boy, oh boy, can I tell you this place is GORGEOUS. Honestly, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. So far:

1) I have been spent waaaay to much money on buying gifts for friends & family. Who knew(expensive) chocolate covered macadamia nuts were THE gift to give? 

2) I've been eaten alive by insects ... well, my ankles have been anyway. Whatevs, so worth it.

3) I've been told by a local that my energy was "positive", yet I had a sense of "longing". Should I be concerned? What the hell does that mean? Could it be related to "he who's name shall not be spoken" (the EX)?

4) Anna (best friend from the Chi) and I have managed to jacuz (yes, jacuz -- we've made it into a verb) every day for at least 15 minutes. I mean, why not?

5) I've adjusted to the six hours time difference...(from EST). My friends and family back home? Uhhh, not so much. How many "Happy fourth of July" text messages can one receive at 4:32am? LOTS. 

6) Started and finished a 350 page book. Lots of laying-out peaceful, laziness going on.

7) Had at least one of my signature drinks once every night. Vodka soda, anyone? (Ok, not everyone's drink of choice, but I like it because it's clear, low-cal, and I happen to think it's tasty with a dash of lime juice).  

8) Taken over 250 photos in 2.5 days. And I'm just getting started. 

Ok, off to jump in the shower for a rinse-off, then back to my standard uniform: bathing suit and cover-up. Hope you all had a safe and fun-filled fourth and are enjoying the long weekend! 

Aloha!!

Meccaloha!!! Vacay & other updates...

Hello people! Have you ever been in the intersection of "I'm so burnt out, I'm crispy..." and "If I have to go to work (or really anywhere for this matter) and look at these people one more day I might have to hurt someone?" Well, I have been wandering in that intersection for about a week now. Thankfully, tranquility and peace of mind are not too far away. For those of you who aren't aware, I am going to Hawaii (for the first time ever) on Wednesday morning, returning eight days later (if I decide to come back) on a wonderful vacay with my best friend from college, Anna. Not only is it awesome because I don't get to see Anna very often and we're totally gonna cut up like only we do, but this whole trip was made possible because Anna's dad lives there (lucky stiff), so accommodations are completely and totally F-R-E-E! We will be staying on the big island, with a quick pit stop in Maui. A fully stocked fridge of our favorite eats and beverages of all sorts, plus an itinerary that looks like, beach, eat, drink, beach, eat, drink, occasional activity (i.e. ATV rides and snorkeling), beach, eat and drink, I'm stoked!!!

I'm starting to pack tonight -- eek -- and I'm nervous as heck that I won't fit everything I want/need into my suitcase. I'm trying to think light and pack lots of sundresses and flip-flops. I'm using Katie over at La Petite Chic's suitcase from a recent trip as inspiration. If she can go to Europe for more than a week and have a suitcase that looks like it came out of Real Simple and less than 50 lbs., so can I. Or at least I can try. Have you looked at it? I mean, c'mon, it's a masterpiece! I guarantee if Katie and I lived in the same metropolitan area, we'd probably be great friends as our organization tactics are SO in-sync.

The last I wrote, I was mentioning how I had let go of Mr. Ex (betrayal is a straw that can definitely break the camel's back) and was thinking of going out on a date with a new guy, who I'll call C. Well, I did go out with C, and it was nice, however, it wasn't exactly how I thought it would be. Is it just me or do men not court women anymore? Keeping a long story short, I got a phone call at 8:30p on a Saturday (last Saturday, not yesterday) asking if I wanted to "hang out" that evening. Resolving to not be a stickler and give it a shot, I accepted. Since I was just finishing dinner, I told C I would call him when I made it home to discuss the plan. And a half hour later, I did just that. The conversation went something like:

Me: "Hey, I'm home! What's the plan? When and where shall we meet?"
C: "Uhhhh, I don't know. What do you want to do?"
Me: "Ummmm, it doesn't really matter, do you have any suggestions?"
C: "Uhhhh, not really...."

WTF? I was so f-ing annoyed. I mean, honestly...

First of all, you call me at 8:30pm on a Saturday night (basically the eleventh hour) asking if I want to hang out for that evening. We've never hung out before...so talk about a first impression. What happened to planning in advance? You just assume that I'm going to be available? Secondly, I happen to be available (even though I almost said "no, I'm not available" on principle alone) and accept to "hang out" with you, and call to find out the plan and you DON'T F-ING HAVE ONE. ARGH. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound like a diva or anything, because I'm not talking about caviar, expensive dinners, flowers and champagne. I don't care if we go bowling and sling back a few beers, but take some initiative, make a plan, and ask me on an honest, proper date! So, after being asked to "hang out" (I feel like I'm in f-ing 10th grade), I have to go on the computer and look up some cool things to do in a central location for both of us, tell him where it is and when to meet me. You ask me out, yet I do all the work. I just feel like at 27, I'm too old for this shit.

Still, trying to give it shot, because once I got there to meet C, we had a decent time (read: he's very nice, no butterflies whatsoever but I'll give him two more chances just to be fair), I invited him to see "Wanted" (new movie with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman) this weekend. We agreed on Friday that Sunday evening worked best for both of us. I had my friend's son's first birthday party - which was more like a kick-ass free-for-all for all ages) this afternoon, but I told him I would call him when I was on my way home with movie times and theatre options. So I left the party (which can I just take a sec to tell you had a huge blow up water slide, a moon walk, a caged in trampoline, and pony ride for the kids AND a fully stocked bar of all premium liquors, catered bbq foods, volleyball set-up, horse-shoes, adult water attractions and a jacuzzi for the adults spread across their 13 acres of land in their "backyard") and called him with times. There were two times I thought would be good to see the movie: 6pm or 8pm. I mean, it's Sunday, and I do have work in the morning, so I didn't want to be out too late. Well, let me just tell you that it's 7:46pm and I have yet to get a phone call back telling me what time he preferred or at this point, that going to see the movie was off. That is just sooooooooooooo f-ing rude! What is WRONG with some guys these days? I don't want to go into the "being a single girl sucks" speech, but let me just tell you, dating is awful. Especially when you're dating because the man who you thought was the end all, be all, the man who you thought you would marry and start a family with bails on you for no good reason. And then after you do EVERYTHING in your power to get over the asshole, he comes back into your life, only to drag you back into the shit-hole you spent a year and half trying to get out of, only to pull the same shit he did back in January of 07. It's like a child with a toy. He is so excited to get the toy and play with it...for a while. Then he tosses the toy to the side UNTIL someone else wants to play with the toy. Then all of a sudden, he wants to play with the toy. He has that horrible syndrome; you know? The "have-his-cake-and-eat-it-too" syndrome. So I'm forced to "keep an open mind" and be on the scene...which I haven't had much luck in. At this point, I don't even know what to say to C, when/if he calls. Do I even bother?

Well, I'll look at the bright side of things...I'm not at the movies, so I finally had time to write and say hello! :) Besides, Wedding Crashers is on TBS, so I'll watch that and start packing...