JUST ANOTHER DAY....

In NYC. Nothing too crazy going on these days which is nice for a change.

Since I spoiled myself with cabs with my broken leg-I'm having a hard time breaking the habit of constant cabbing. Subways are so packed, I'm sweating like crazy, and I have to rush like a maniac to transfer and then make it to class or work on time. Which we all know being on time is not one of my strong points! But I think finally my bank account is keeping things in check so this bad habit is definately dying.


Living in the city I've noticed a little trend going on. Of course being in the city there are bums galore. So people on my block seem to leave things out for them. Instead of throwing away their dinner leftovers-they leave a nice plate on their stoop and there are some slightly used clothes hanging on some gates by their apts. One might think that maybe people are just too lazy to throw things away but I think they are just too nicely placed and in too good of condition. I joined the fun and left one of my old sweaters out on my stoop! Its kind of a funny sort of charity going on.

Lastly my new favorite study snack is wasabi peas! I can't get enough of them!

Ok well I'm off to the library-I have Katie's bday celebration all this weekend as well as a huge accounting exam on Wednesday-eek!

YAY!!! ANOTHER BAMBINO!!

Justin and Carolyn are pregnant!! How exciting!!!

Turns out it was a honeymoon baby and is due on June 12th!! Just two days after Maddie's birthday!!

Carolyn wants to find out the sex of the baby. I think they should have a boy!

We already have our little princess!! :)

¡Hooray! ¡España aquí venimos!

Katie and I have been doing some day dreaming lately-you know midterm season and all!

One day we were just sitting there and she said as a matter of factly-I really want to go to Spain! I peeked my head up from my books and said-Awesome I'm down!

For a few weeks we have been trying to work out the details. I just cleared it with work last week and yesterday we booked our flight!!!!!
For two weeks from May 25th-June 7th, Katie and I will be going from Lisbon, Portugal, to Lagos, Portugal, to Madrid, Spain, and lastly to Barcelona, Spain. We will be spending 3-4 days in each place and traveling by train to each spot. Barcelona was my pick and Lagos was hers. The other two we both felt were essentials!

We haven't booked our hotels yet. Katie is pretty laid back about everything so she didn't care if we stayed in hostels. But I'm the pain and told her I wanted hotels. But we found some good deals so we're super pumped!

We booked the flights yesterday and I seriously can't believe it!!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!

I think we both need to learn some spanish-ha!

BRIDEZILLA-EJ STYLE!!! EJ's Wedding Dress!!
My dress!!

The bridesmaids' dresses!!

When I was in RI, EJ and I went wedding dress shopping. We had a great time, she tried on about a million dresses and bought this one!! I also played around and found the hottest Maid of Honor dress!

EJ Wedding Pt 2 is in FULL EFFECT!!

Right now EJ is "trying" to narrow down her bridal party from her 12 closest friends. Um yeah I'm serious. We are looking at 12 of her "sisters" that apparently if they are not in the bridal party EJ's world would wither away and die. To top it off Andrew only has 5 people in his party. But EJ is doing her best to come to terms and narrow this down-ha!

EJ is now obsessed with planning her bachelorette party. I told her it was my job to plan this shindig. But she has already purchased numerous books on fun bachelorette games! She has made the following demands- bride, maid of honor, and bridesmaid shirts for that night. #1 priority is going to a strip club-woohoo! Tons of embarrassing games and basically getting super drunky. So ladies SAVE THE DATE if you want to witness EJ abomination.....Friday, June 7th!!!

And to top if off.....I convinced her to get HAIR GENIE!!! Oh yeah EJ booked her already!! She is using the photog from Justin's wedding and the DJ from a family friend's wedding. And oh yes, Amy-warn Stefani that EJ is on her way!!!

Let the games begin!!!!!!

MADDIE-RAMA Tinkey Tot
Lady Luv
Modest Maddie
Mushy Maddie

Finger Funnie

Just came back from Rhode Island. I had a fabulous trip! I spent the whole time with Maddie who is getting soooo big! She is just such a mush ball and wants to cuddle every second!

And Maddie is just like her mom and talks/blabbers non-stop! Her new thing is doing rasberries!! :)

BEERS FOR QUEERS...and not the good kind

Two weekends ago, Peter invited me to go to Beer on the Pier. He told me it was this big Beerfest that was tons of fun. You can sample different kinds of beers outside on Chelsea Piers.

Now on a side note-Peter and I hadn't really seen each other for two weeks. First was his birthday weekend and then next I was studying for a huge midterm (the same one I missed for the sleepover). There were a few random phone calls in between plus the last date was pretty bad. So the momentum was kind of dwindling....

He told me that he was going to pick me up and go to the BeerFest. My first question was why the hell are you going to drive to this all you can drink Beerfest-but whateves! So he picks me up late (again!). On all our other dates Peter was rockin the black tee and jeans which were cute. But now he was wearing these awful pants and button down. It didn't even look like he showered!! I think he may have been rolling around in trash prior which was why he was late!

On our drive over, he picks up his cell and starts talking to this girl for like 10 min??! I thought it was kinda rude.

So we get there....and it is this huge brightly lit warehouse with tons of lines everywhere to try beer! I was like you have got to be kidding!! $50 bucks for this crap??!! The whole night was waiting on lines to get to the front and have them fill up a small shot taste of beer??!! This was just too much....4 hours with an unshowered pal and I didn't even have a buzz!!!

His funny jokes weren't funny and his constant goth references were stupid! It was so bizarre! We just weren't clicking! Now I know you can't judge a book by the cover but I was rockin these cute jeans with my black wrap around sweater and flashy gold vest with white "faux" rabbit fur. We looked like a magazine ad titled-"No F-ing Way!!"

My friend Aylin (the one that set me up with this dope) was there too. Which was the only good thing. I talked to her the whole time basically. I told her that I'm totally not into Peter anymore and she laughed and said I'm so sorry. I was completely ignoring him...he even asked me why I was ignoring him-oops!

The whole time I was saying how tired I am just so I can have him drop me early. But this thing was over at 10pm and the boys decided that they wanted to go to a bar to watch the Mets game. I was trying not to be mean so I said ok. Then he sat there for an hour glued to the TV. Aylin and I sat there and played the whole time.

I just couldn't take it anymore and told him I had plans with Katie so I had to go home. So he dropped me off in front of Katie's restaurant and I ran the hell out of the car!!

Katie and I proceeded to go out and have a great night of dancing and ridiculousness!! :)

So that is the end of the Peter saga!

UN-SCREW YOU

On Wednesday I went to the hospital once again for surgery! This time I was going to get one of my screws removed. The long one that goes through my fibula and tibia.

I wasn't really looking forward to it (obviously) but I was told it wasn't going to be as bad. For one I was not going to be knocked out I was just going to get local.

I was in pain for a few days and stuck on crutches. They gave me Vicodin which btw...sucks!! It did nothing for me. On the other hand...Percoset is awesome! Thank goodness I had some leftover from my last surgery!

But today I am up and walking with my fancy new 25 stiches in my leg. I am getting them removed next Thursday. So up until then I need to keep this damn ace bandage on it and can't get it wet! AKA...I need to lug that damn shower stool back into NYC so I can bathe myself-fun!!

Besides Percoset, one of the best things about being home in LI is that EJ and Maddie were here!!! EJ is having some trouble with her epilepsy so I babysat and she went to the doctors! I know its not the best reason for me to celebrate seeing Maddie but I haven't seen her in TWO MONTHS!!!

She is the best!!! She is so big and so cute!! And I think because my voice is similar to EJ's and I bear some resemblance she took a liking to me! Maddie and I just hung out all day!! Just like old times!!
And I know curse me-I forgot my camera in NYC!! But I'm seeing her soon so I will make sure to take a ton then!!

WEDDINGS R' FUN

In case some of you forgot how nicely I clean up I have attached some more pics from Justin's Wedding. I failed to mention that I had a photog-stalker at the wedding. One of my brother's friends who is a photog was trying to slow dance with this broken leg girl the entire night. I was busy partying with my cousins and taking fabulous photos so he settled for taking pictures of me from afar. Not a bad deal!! He is awesome!!

However there is bigger news other than how pretty I am.....EJ officially asked me to be Maid of Honor!!! YIIPPEE!!!!!!! I was kind of thinking she would ask me but as my mother said last night, "You never know with her." So I am super pumped!! The Best Man is Andrew's brother...a semi-cute very fun 6'5" dude. EJ tells me he is the Life of the Party! We are going to have a kick ass entrance!!

PS...My huge awful midterm is over!! It went pretty well I think.....so now I booked myself the entire weekend. If you need to reach me this weekend just call 1-800-DRUNK!!!

BACHELOR POOL

Katie and I, being huge reality TV junkies, were watching The Bachelor 2 hour premiere last night and came up with a fabulous idea!

Based on just the first episode and any extra clippings they showed us we setup a game to decide the winner.

We had to sit down and determine the Top 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and the winner. Basically saying who is going to get voted off each week. We get a -1 if we get one wrong in the top 10, -2 for each one we get wrong in top 8 and so on until its a -6 for each one wrong in top 2.

The winner picks the place, outfit, and imposes 2 made up rules on the loser for the entire evening! I'm thinking I'm going to dress Katie up in 18 layers of clothes with flipflops and tell her she can only say Moo the whole night! Ha! I can't wait to see who wins!

Pictured above is my winner pick-Jennifer! I hope she goes all the way!!

SQUIRTING

A few dates ago, it came up in funny conversation between Peter and I about girls having the ability to "squirt". Apparently one of his friend's girlfriends can do it. Now I have seen many a porno with this so I knew it existed but had suddenly developed a curiosity on how a girl can physically do this. I mean I think it is an exceptional talent and one that would be fun to try and master-ha!

So a few days ago I googled it to be splashed (no pun intended) with a million dirty pics and websites with this going on. I did find some instructional things but of course I had to sign up for stuff and have manuals sent to my apt. I'm curious but not willing to make that kind of investment.

Later that night I turn on my computer and all of a sudden it is flashing all these crazy things like....YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN INFECTED WITH A VIRUS, big red Xs, crazy stuff. So immediately I call my brother. He instructs me through a few things and everything seems OK...until the next day my hot Abercrombie guy is no longer my wallpaper so I knew something was wrong. I run Norton Anti-Virus and turns out somehow I got the Trojan Virus!! WTF!! I didn't download anything. I was just merely viewing some sites (for research purposes I might add!!).

So I call my brother again and immediately he asks me what porn sites I was looking at. I laugh of course and confess my research project. After he finished hysterical laughing he tells me that he is going to have to take my laptop for a week to remove the programs and reinstall a ton of stuff. I didn't lose anything on my computer.....
But the morale of the story is......

SQUIRTING JUST ISN'T WORTH ALL THE HYPE!

Krazy in Korea

Oh man! Last Saturday I had a date with Pete. I was really looking forward to it seeing as our last couple of dates had been fun adventures not to mention I was going to finally try some Korean food.

Well I have been super stressed for my midterms next week and have been sleeping very little. So I was doing my best to muster up some energy to go out but I was not being so successful. I was a tad on the cranky side in general but it was going by the way side as I was excitedly getting ready to go out.

We planned on him coming by at 7pm...however 6:30pm I get a text saying he running late (which isn't so unusual-we joke about how we both are always late-not to mention its just me sitting in my apt so no harm done). But this time his text said he'll be here at 8pm. 8:15pm comes and I'm starting to fall asleep on my couch so I text him if he is close and he calls saying that he didn't sleep much the night before (he works the night shifts during the week) so he took a nap and didn't hear his alarm. He apologized profusely and I joked that it was fine just get here because I'm starving and falling asleep on the couch.

He finally arrives and we drove to Flushing to have the "best Korean food"...and thank goodness it was amazing! We had these great potato pancakes and this great sauteed meat. I had no idea that Korean food came with all these little plates of toppings of vegetables, spices, fruit, and all this crazy stuff to mix with the meat. Peter showed me how to make this little baby burritos with lettuce and all the topping stuffed in there. I must have said yum like a million times!

We were being our silly old-selves which was fun but then there were some awkward moments. For example...I was trying to compensate for my lack of energy by telling some funny stories. So I told him about how our neighbors pay for our electric. I think that story is hysterical...however he thought it was kinda mean of us not to tell them. I was a bit surprised and tried to slightly justify myself but then quickly dropped the subject. There was even some confusion about paying the check...eek!

We left dinner at 11:45pm and heading into the city to this bar called Lit. It is this dark funky bar downtown. We were canoodling and chatting but then we found seats to cozy up in. I saw him yawning and I was really trying to hold mine in. After we both milked our beers for an hour or so we decided to leave.

We messed around more in his car in front of my apt, he said he would call me this week, and I ran for my bed!

I had a really good time just not an amazing time like all the other dates so I'm chalking it up to lack of sleep.

He just called today and thank goodness with both of us well rested....the witty banter was back in full effect :)

BROKEN (LEG) AND TV

I went to the doctor and officially booked another surgery. I know-super exciting! I can't wait! (sarcasm) On Wednesday, Oct 11 I'm going to get one of the screws removed from my leg. The big one that goes through my fibula and tibia. I will still have to go to the hospital but I won't be knocked out. He will make an incision about an inch long over my current scar. I will need to go back a week after that to get the stiches removed.

Supposedly I will only be on crutches for a few days. So most likely I'll be heading back to Hotel Paul on LI. The doctor already thinks I'm nuts so I think I'm going to ask him to save the screw-ewh! ha!

On the more fun side of things.....this was a huge week in TV! All the new shows started up! Now Katie and I already admittedly have a TV addiction. But we just can't help ourselves. So I felt the need to review a few of them that my friend TIVO taped for me.....

The Class: Cute sitcom with good jokes. Can easily sit and enjoy some mindless humor without being stupid like that show Joey. We both really liked it! THUMBS UP!

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Too drama-ish...and not in a good way. It is a lot like West Wing with very involved plots and drama about a dumb TV show that is a mock SNL. Plus its 60 min! Neither of us like it. THUMBS DOWN!

Kidnapped: I was initially drawn to this show because of Jeremy Sisto-the hottie from Clueless and wackjob from Six Feet Under. This show is an intense hunt for a kidnapped son.....very cool but kinda hard to describe why. THUMBS UP!

Six Degrees: You will recognize all the characters from movies like Serendipity and Crazy/Beautiful. I love the concept that everyone is somehow connected...plus it takes place in NYC!! Very likeable characters and interesting plot! THUMBS UP!!

BROOKLYN BOOM BOOM

Date 2 with Peter started out great! He picked me up in his car at 7:30pm and drove into Brooklyn headed to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He chose this place because of the indie movies and great architecture.

Trying to get to the theatre we hit a ton of traffic. He wasn't bothered by it and we were chatting away. A lot of our conversation is silly banter but it did come out that his mom is a super hippy and 3 things he took away from that were...his longish hair (a little above the chin), love of organic food, and trying not to kill bugs (there was a spider in the car that he gracefullly picked up and threw out the window) I teased him that it was really nice of him so now the spider will get run over. He looked at me laughed and said good point.

After much traffic we show up at the theatre and I ask him if he has any idea about what he wants to see. He says No not really. Naturally I looked at the website a while back and saw that every movie playing looked good so I didn't mind his free spirited-ness....its actually relaxing to me. We bought tickets to Little Miss Sunshine which was the next movie playing in 30 min....not to mention the movie I secretly wanted to see the most. We sat and chatted on the stairs of the theatre...I even showed him (and he touched-ewh!) my leg scar which he thought was the coolest thing ever. The theatre itself looked like we were at a Broadway theatre with the high arching ceilings and wood carving mantles, etc-very cool!

The movie was adorable and then we headed to this peruvian restaurant called Mancora. The food is kind of like Spanish food...I had snapper with rice, beans, yuca, tomatoes. I also had a mojito-yum! He had some meat plate. Dinner was great and he officially declared his quest to show me all the great places to eat in the city....He loves trying new food and is very excited that I do as well but is shocked when I say statements like I've never had Korean food.

We then head across the street to a bar called Camp. It was cute with a woodsy theme. We have a few Stella beers, chat away, and get cozy on the couches in the back. And now you know when you put beers and comfy couches together...no good happens....by 2:30am we were necking in the back...but we were both sober so we kept the DH-ing in check...have no fear! ;)

The place is emptying out and we head back the car to continue out makeout fest. As stuff was being whipped out I was looking around making sure there were no cops...there is only so many times I need to get caught with a wang in my hand in the car-ha!

Now you ask why didn't we just take it back to the apt? Well he was driving me back to LI because I had a family dinner planned for Sunday and he was saving me a trip.....

So anyways, we drive back to Baldwin and he drops me off. After making out some more, he says I'll give you a call next week and we'll have Korean food. I say sounds good and head into the house to find a mark on my neck! To which my mother laughs the next day and says it looks like you had a good date with Peter huh??!

Sneaking into the house at 5am and trying to cover up a hickey....it was just like being back in high school...27 or 17 what's the difference...except maybe better hair :)

PS...He just called me and we have plans for Saturday-woohoo!

TYRA AIN'T GOT NOTHIN'

Baruch sent out an email to all the students looking for people to come and take some photos. They are re-doing all of their advertisements, brochures, website, and general pictures around campus.

I thought it would be funny to reply back with some sassy photos. Which by the way can all glamourously be found at some point on this blog....esp the fancy one of me with the faux hair! The next day I got a response saying I have been selected to participate.

On Tuesday I show up to a bunch of other students....I seem to be the "token blonde American" But it was all good here! The day was filled with bits like me playing air hockey in a pink Baruch sweatshirt, buying a cup of coffee, studying with friends, and some solo pics of me hanging out by some tables.

There was lots of waiting around and at one point my lips were quivering because my smile muscles were worn out....but it was awesome! The photogs were super nice and splashed me with compliments like, "You are so photogenic" and "You missed your calling." Definite confidence booster!!

So who knows, if you see a bus drive by with a Baruch ad maybe it will have my smiling face on it-ha! That would really be hysterical!!!

BACK ON THE RI RANCH......

EJ came to the rescue and finally sent me some Maddie photos!! They are doing great! EJ started up school and Maddie started up daycare. EJ was upset to drop her off at daycare but she just called up excited that Maddie has a boyfriend....Conor!! They smile and flirt with each other all day!! Obviously she takes after her Aunt Leelee!! :)

TOP 10 THINGS THAT I LEARNED WHILE I WAS ON CRUTCHES

1. The boot is not only a fashion statement but a good place to put a tampon when you have your hands full with crutches.
2. Guys invent new ways to holler at you on the street. ie. "You are the hotest girl on crutches!"
3. A good way to save money on shopping because I'm too tired to get to the stores
4. Banging a cop won't reserve you VIP seats for the fireworks but so-lows and a fancy set of crutches will!
5. You can never wait too long for an elevator
6. Not listening to my IPOD on the NYC streets won't kill me
7. This is what it takes in order to have Katie actually clean the apartment
8. I actually can get tired of wearing my so-lows everyday
9. Perfect way to convince my mom to buy me a whole new wardrobe because "nothing I have fits over a cast"
10. Lastly......Guys will still makeout with you at bars even though your latest accessories are a cast and crutches!

MYSTERY MAN

Aylin's boyfriend had this cute friend that she wanted to set me up with. She has only been with her boyfriend for 2 months so she has only met this guy a handful of times. But she thought he was cute and nice so why not!?

A few weeks back Aylin and I met up with her bf and his friend for drinks. We talked the whole night and Peter and I even stayed after Aylin and her bf had left for the night. He asked for my number and called me a few days later to hang out. Of course I was busy celebrating my bday for a week so I wasn't really around. But last Saturday we actually made plans.

Peter, the 30 yr old artist at Bank of America picked me up in his car because he was driving in from Long Island. There was a Raphael exhibit at the Met that he wanted to see. He loves the Italian Renaissance Period. The weather was yucky rainy but I was sporting jeans, sneakers, a cute black tank, and a white tight blazer (a la Ft Lauderdale) plus I was having a fabulous hair day so it was all good!

We headed up to the paying booth and I said I have my student ID so we can get a discount. He said oh no thats only suggested prices. So he pulls a dollar out of his pocket and says to the girl two please. I already have seven dollars in my hand so after he walks away I give the girl my money. He sees me and says did you just give her money? I said yes. And he continues to go on about how much money the museum already has and all his profs told him to only give in a dollar. I guess he was embarrased that I second guessed him but I just said I was feeling generous and I hadn't been there in years so it was a worthy contribution. Truth of the matter is that I thought he was being rude and didn't think it was such a big deal to throw down some extra cash. And now thinking back I think a lot of artists have the same sentiment towards museum admission. Oh well! We got over it in like a second but I was still thinking this guy was a little annoying.

The exhibit was pretty cool. He also showed me some of his other favorite exhibits like the pyramids and the relaxation room. We were there for a while and decided to get some food. We drove downtown to this place called TOMOE SUSHI. He proclaimed that it was the best sushi ever. There was even a line outside of this little tiny downtown place! We waited on line (with an umbrella because of the slight mist) for about 30 min! But he is really sarcastic and had me laughing the entire time.

He was excited that I eat sashimi too and ordered us tons of great fish. I even tried a scallop roll! He was right tho...the sushi was pretty amazing! We talked a ton about his trip 'cross country. He had lots of funny stories and we shared some witty banter. PS....He paid for dinner...I wonder if I gave him a complex-oops! :) But I told him I would buy him some drinks.

He walked us a block down to Madame X. I thought it was really funny because I know Devon wants to go there for her bday and I think it was where Mel was going to go speed dating. But the place is super cool! Very dark with red velvet couches and funky paintings. Basicallly a very hip chill scene. It was good because it wasn't crowded and we could talk. So after another drink or two and tons of flirting he leaned in and kissed me. Um yeah we were making out at Madame X-ha! But then the clock struck 3am!! And decided that I need to get home.

He drove me back to my apt where we continued to make out. He asked if he could come upstairs. I said maybe another time. He said in his typical sarcastic tone after I peeled him from my lips....so can I call you? To which I smiled and said no :)

Aftermath.....so date was great....art, sushi, and tons of laughing! But I still hadn't heard from him now on Tuesday??!! Date was Friday? Did I embarrass him with the Museum ticket thing? Is he mad I said he couldn't sleepover? Is he being a flakey artist? Is he just not that into me?

I'll keep you updated!

BACK TO THE BOOKS

Here we are back again! School is back!! Yippee (yes this is me trying to draw up some enthusiasm)! I'm basically really nervous because even though I'm only going to be taking 2 classes. One is Part 2 of the hardest Accounting class in the program and the other is Federal Income Tax.

I'll have class Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:30-7:30pm.

But to ease the pain of letting go of all my free time....I decided I needed to purchase myself a DKNY messenger bag. Yes ladies...the Prada Campus bag may need to be let out to finer pastures...I've destroyed it (shocker)....

Let's hope me and the new DKNY bag hold up better than last semester!

PS...One of my classes is with the professor that wants to see me wearing ONLY my DKNY
bag....oh yeah can't wait!

SEXY BACK

First off for the gals that could make it to my birthday celebration.....I want to say THANK YOU!!!! For those that couldn't make it- I smoked some Hookah for ya! I was a little leary with the empty lit lounge that I escorted everyone too with a "care-free" server. But once they dimmed the lights are served up some fabulous food and drinks it was all good! Manahatta was awesome! We danced our pants off for a while. But then the few leftover of the bunch wandered over to Joshua Tree to shake more of our groove thing. Until we were kicked out of a local dive bar Hook and Ladder at 4am!! Woohoo!!

As you can see from the pictures I had a blast-ha!! I hope everyone had a great time too! It was definitely my favorite birthday party yet!!! Clearly I brought sexy back-ha! More like wasted back! I'm so glad Mel was there to catch every drunk moment :) And also a reminder to myself as to why I don't bring out a camera more often!!

To end my birthday celebration, Katie got us tickets to see the Ellen Degeneres Show with Justin Timberlake-yum! So on Monday, Katie and I stood outside in Central Park in the mist for a couple hours but it was worth it!! We made friends with the women next to us in line who actually thought Katie and I were lesbians-ha! That's a first :) Our response was oh boy that would be so much easier!!

JTim is so sexy!! We saw his sound check and he performed the whole show! We were on the grass in lawn chairs but we could totally see him and his SEXY BACK!! And of course Ellen was as fun as ever.

Thank you again! I am so lucky to have such great friends!!!

ES MI CUMPLEANOS!!!

So clearly I found the best cake ever here online-ha!

I just finished baking cupcakes for me and my co-workers-yum! It was quite a task to balance out and make 50 cupcakes in an apt with no tables or a counter. Just picture me mixing batter in a bowl on my couch :) But I had a blast and my fun little mexican kitchen buddies will all love the yummy treats I baked up for us!

I know my birth ranks high up there....but I'd like to also give a shout out to Cal Ripken Jr. (former Orioles baseball player) and Steve Gutenberg (best known for his role as the cartoonist in Three Men and a Baby). My fellow birthday buddies! Um, yeah I don't think that could get any lamer.

Oh no wait....Mount Vesuvius errupted in Italy the same day as my birth. Oh man-this is getting worse!

The only other good thing that I could find that happened on my bday besides me of course was that it was the first day of airing of Facts of Life. Go Tootie!

Can't wait to see you all Saturday!!

A CHURCH GROWS IN BROOKLYN

Martin wrote me about how he had knee surgery right around my surgery so we thought it was a funny we had gimping in common. He is 28, a Social Studies teacher in Brooklyn and lives there too.

I spoke to him on the phone for a while. He was very nice and talkative. A little on the overly polite side. We were trying to figure out what to do and I suggested Mexican. He said he doesn't like to eat Mexican on the first date. I thought that was kind of weird like what does that mean? He would fart in front of me on the second date? But whatevs....

I met him in front of Mercury Bar at 8pm. He was wearing jeans, t-shirt, and black shoes. Very clean cut as you can tell from the picture. I'm stuck wearing sneakers and an air cast so I was wearing my black so-lows, cute blue shirt, and sneakers-ha! Definitely not my typical date outfit-but it was super tight so I thought it was still do-able.

We went in and sat at the back bar and chatted up a storm about a ton of things. We ordered drinks and split an appetizer. He was very considerate and polite. But then we stumbled onto an interesting subject.....religion. He is super duper religious. He goes to church every week with his super traditional family. He even sings in the church choir. And unfortunately, I feel the exact opposite about religion. And I think he nearly fainted when he saw my tattoo on my back. I asked him about how he feels about people that don't go to church and he said that short term he feels ok about it but long term he expects someone to go to church with him all the time.

The conversation moved onto different things and my interest was fading. I was just kind of getting bored and by 9:30 I wanted to leave. But he kept buying me drinks so I stayed a little longer. He walked me towards my apt and he gave me a hug. He asked if I kiss on the first date (I wanted to start hysterical laughing) but then I said No. Me not even wanting to kiss him at the end of our date and our very different views on just about everything just sounds like we are just not meant to be.

Oh well-Can't have chemistry with everyone :)

HOLY LEG SCREWS BATMAN!!!

We have all known each other a long time now. But now I think our friendship is reaching a whole new level.....I am now revealing my true insides-ha! Yup this is my actual x-ray!!! HOW CRAZY!!

You are looking at 7 screws and a plate on my Fibula. That long screw is going through my Fibula and my Tibia!!

My doctor's visit was a success! I hobbled in with a boot and crutches and walked out with an ace bandage and air cast!! I need to wear sneakers and ace bandage for a couple of weeks but besides that things are looking great! I go back in 4 weeks to follow up and see how much physical therapy I need. He thinks PT will be minimal because I've been doing my own exercises at home when I had the boot.

The big question is whether or not I'm going to have surgery to take out that long screw. Basically if I leave it in there it will eventually break and become part of the bone and it will be virtually impossible to remove. Particles of nail will be floating in my body and who knows how it will feel when it actually breaks. Option 2 is going under local anesthesia in December and having him do a little slit to unscrew and take it out. I will be out of commision for 2-3 days. I'm leaning towards Option 2 right now but I have 4 weeks to give my official word.

So YAY!! I'm a free woman!!!

PS...went on the date last night too but don't have time to write about it....check back Monday!! :)

CROSS YOUR FINGERS GALS

This sassy girl on the left has a big day tomorrow! (Thursday...probably today by the time you read this)

First...I have an official dr appt. I am super hoping that they are going to take this boot off and I'm going to be crutch free! When he gave me the boot this was the expected date that I may possibly walk out of the office with an ace bandage!

Second....I am entering into the dating scene again! There is a guy from online that I've been chatting for a while with. I've spoken to him on the phone once and he passed the crazy test! He also had knee surgery and was gimping around recently. So I've already warned him I may be on the boot :)

And as per your request Mel...you can see more of the sassy hair in this pic. It was a side part poof with a bunch of faux hair wrapped around the pony tail. I was looking for Gwen Stefani type-do but it wound up being more Barbie hair. I loved it all the same!

WILD WEDDING WEEKEND

First off sorry for the delay in posting!! I have finally started to recover now on Tuesday!! I digresss....I had the best weekend ever! So here I continue onto spill the journey.....

Thursday
Rehearsal dinner at Brindisi's in Westbury had 60 of Justin's closest friends and family and I think Carolyn added another 15-ha! It was the first night I attempted without crutches...but the 18 million vodka tonics also helped. Hence why I don't have any pics from that night. But there was really nothing too exciting to capture. Oh but I did happen to invite all my mom's out of town family over to our pool the next day :) Um yeah my dad wasn't too happy to find out but he eventually calmed down-ha!

Friday
A nice little gathering with some of my mom's family. Here are some highlights....


Jerimiah, one of my little cousin's from Chicago

His sister Jessica
Kara, Ann Marie and Jada (Jessica's twin sister)

Saturday

The big day! I stayed overnight at the hotel on Friday because of the 7am hair call at the Glen Cove Mansion (the hotel everyone was staying at). I had my faux hair in tow and was super excited.

Here is the happy couple in the midst of shooting photos before the wedding. Not so sure what is going on with that top hat and cane?? I thought we were medieval? And I was glad Carolyn was wearing sleeves too...hehehe. They looked great nonetheless! Plus the photogs were super hot and EJ and I were being sillier than ever. I don't think we stopped laughing the entire time!

We were having a blast...until the shuttle from the hotel to the Cresent Beach broke down!! The bride, groom, and entire wedding party was stranded on the side of the road. Justin was freaking out because we were running late and the same shuttle was supposed to pick up all the guests at the hotel to bring them to the wedding. Carolyn was just kind of in shock and not saying much (which is not typical). But then a lady with a suburban stopped and drove 8 people there. A bunch of my other relatives also drove back to get us too. We made it there in time and it was smooth sailing from then on!

Oh yeah that's right! I think it was supposed to be Justin and Carolyn's wedding but these 2 gals stole the show. This is us on the side of the road (clearly freaking out about not getting there-ha!). You can even see the fancy bouquet....again a la Stephani :)

My father walked EJ and I both down the aisle because there was one more girl than guy. But it was only EJ and I being introduced at the reception. So we had to come up with something! Because of my boot/leg issue we were limited but EJ came up with the whole reeling in the fish skit. IT WAS AWESOME!! Just picture it....EJ and I strutting out, me continuing and dramatically turning around so I can reel the squirmy fishy EJ. The whole crowd was hysterical laughing and cheering. No one else even did anything??!!

The official full length shot of these beautiful masterpieces! They weren't so god awful when we were all together and pretended we had no fashion sense??!! I like how my mom looks more fashionable than we do!! But it was all good :)

My dapper dad! He probably didn't mind the top hat-ha!

So the wedding was a success! The Crescent Beach Club was amazing! The ceremony on the beach and cocktail hour outside was so nice! We drank and danced (yes even I managed a shuffle or two). Then the party headed back to the Glen Cove Mansion to the bar and continued on until my mom was cutting me off at 1am and trying to play pool with EJ at the bar. Andrew was already back in the room with the baby. Andrew...btw...scored major points this weekend with me as well as everyone that met him. He was very social and even danced with Maddie during the father/daughter dance...so adorable!! Speaking of....here is my baby girl :)

MR. RICK SHAW

A few weeks back, I was in a slump and felt the need to give myself a day of beauty. So a facial at Georgette Klinger and highlights and cut were in order.

So facial at 3pm on 5th/54th and 5:30PM hair appt on 58th/9th. I thought I was leaving enough time. But the problem was catching a cab during rush hour.

I got out of the spa at 4:50....waited 10 min and still no cab on the block. Seems as if all the snotty people in the world were jumping ahead of me into cabs. All those sketchy unmarked cars and rickshaws were approaching but I refused. So I crutched from 5th to Lexington to Madison-ahhh! I was sweating soooo much, exhausted, and it was now 5:30!

Then this hot foreign guy in a rickshaw approached me. I'm not sure if it was my exhaustion, the hope of not crutching more, or his dreamy looks......I accepted.

Picture this....girl with cast and crutches in this rickshaw that was swerving in and out of taxi cabs. One arm wrapped around the crutches so they don't fall out and the other hand holding onto the rickshaw to make sure I don't fall out! First I was a little nervous especially because of his adventurous driving-aka one inch away from cabbies. But before I knew it I was snapping pics of me with my phone.

And a quick 10 minutes later Mr. Hot Rick Shaw man scooted me to the door front of the salon.

I bet my hair salon has never seen an entrance like that!!

SO IT'S OFFICIAL!!

After a long absence due to---after much investigation---a competing blogger pushing me down the stairs :) Well no one can keep this girl down!! So I'm back and so are Mr. & Mrs. Paul-Moses!! Did you really think EJ would give up her name??--hell no!

There has been so much going on so I thought everyone needed a "quick" run through at the very least!!


THE BIG DAY!!

The fancy setup in the Moses' NJ backyard on July 29, 2006. Mr and Mrs Moses and son, Daniel did a fabulous job!! There was yummy BBQ and even a fancy chocoate fountain! I don't have a pic of them up there and people in their seats because I was up in the front with EJ....did I tell you I was Maid of Honor??...oh that's right I'm bringing crutches to a whole new level!

Happy Couple!! Notice the fancy daisy and babysbreath crowns a la Stephanie! Dress courtesy of Sugar Plum. There were two very chaotic shopping trips involving a wheelchair. But thankfully we found this fancy frock!

Maddie wasn't letting a wedding ruin her sleepy time. PS...so weird to see EJ with a wedding ring!

Good Mommy!! Notice the blue ribbons hanging off the back of the crown (something blue). EJ was really excited about it all....it was very cute!

Rockin Momma....yeah right these girls couldn't stay all dressed up the whole day! Notice something new.....necklace Andrew's Gma gave her (all "her girls" have it-awh!!)....something borrowed...Carolyn's earrings...original item left at home...oops!

My brother stole my camera to document me in 105 degree weather balancing on one leg. Dress courtesy of BR...a la my college graduation party...its amazing those puke stains came out-yum! You can also note that I have continued to lighted the locks....see the pic of me and EJ down further for comparison :)


YAWN! Maddie is so over this wedding! So lets move onto another event.......

CAROLYN'S BRIDAL SHOWER!

The giggling Bride to Be! She claimed to be surprised on Sunday, July 16th at the Irish Coffee Pub. But I don't think they ever are! The "pub" actually turned out to be a really fancy place! Do I hear name change??!!

The two hottest bridesmaids in town!! We're not letting any broken leg or extra babyweight hold us back!!

NOW ONTO MY TWO AND A HALF WEEK "VACATION" IN B-TOWN:

My saving grace......my girl Maddie and I hung out everyday. I had the 7am-11am shift while EJ caught up on her sleep. Being around 24/7---I got the true understanding of a newborn....good lord sooooooo much work!! It is so much more than not sleeping at night!

My Mom couldn't get enough of Maddie either! EJ was initially bothered by us taking over but then she went with it.

We only had Maddie for a couple weeks while Andrew was in FL. So my dad needed to show her accounting basics on the computer. She was really catching on....I think we have a true genius!

I also had to teach her a few things........ha! That is so wrong but I couldn't help it :)

Maddie really loved riding Aunt Leelee's cast. Yeah thats what I decided I'm going to be called. Between all my little cousin's calling me "Lekis" I've decided to rename myself! EJ after much fighting agreed only if my unborn children can call her Aunt EJ. By that time Maddie will be calling me Aunt Leelee and my kids will no way support that EJ hoopla-ha!


And finally Maddie says, Peace Out and there is soooo much more fun to come with Aunt Leelee's blog!!