Double Date

Last night we went to Benihana's with Lanie and Todd.  It was fun to get out for a bit and grab a bite to eat.  I love that place, the food is so good!  The only problem is that I usually eat my what's on my plate while waiting for the rest of it to be cooked. 

It's funny because that is probably the only time I have gone there and left sober!  We used to go every year for the August birthdays and the saki shots would be flowing all night long.  But alas, this was a Thursday night so we decided to behave ourselves.

I love spending time with Rob and having Lanie and Todd along too was that much more fun. Finding another couple that you totally get along with is the best.  Especially when it's your best friend and her man has stuff in common with your man.  I love that!  I can't wait to plan some more fun evenings for the four us to share.

Time Out

Sometimes, I just need a break.  Sometimes, it can get all a bit too much.  I love Dom with all my heart, but when he is testing his boundaries with me, pushing my buttons and doing the exact opposite of what I ask him to do...I just need a moment.

This was one of those days.  And with Rob going to Phoenix tomorrow, I knew that if I didn't get a much needed mental time out, it was going to be a rough couple of days ahead of us.  Rob could see my stress and suggested that maybe I go get my nails done.  Did I just get a free pass to leave the house for a couple of house? 

I text Lanie to see what she was up to.  Within the hour, we were meeting at Metro Point and standing in line to go see "The Vow."  Now that's a good friend.  One who drops everything to go watch some sappy chick flick with you.  Thank goodness for my BFF.

The movie was cute, but oh so unrealistic.  Lanie and I sat in our seats as the credits rolled like two jaded divorcee's.  No man talks to a woman like he did in this movie. No man goes to the ends of the earth for his woman like this guy did.  All the romantic and mushy things happening gives young girls unrealistic expectations of what a relationship will be like.  And then they will be disappointed when it doesn't happen.

Ouch, I DO sound jaded huh?  Or maybe I'm just being realistic?

Regardless, it was a prefect way to get my mind off how stressful it can be to raise a two year old.  By the time I got home, I felt refreshed and happy and ready to be challanged by Dom again.

All about me

I first filled this out back in 2008. It would be fun to look back and see how my answers have changed.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes, my beautiful Grandmother

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Hmm...non personally it was on Sunday when Rob and I were watching undercover boss. Personally, it was last Saturday when I realized that Rob and Dom's videos weren't in Mum's birthday slideshow

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not really, it's totally all over the place

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Not a huge fan but if I had to pick one, turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? YES! I have a wonderful and amazing 2 1/2 year old boy

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yep, I'm pretty awesome

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Um, yea...it's my favorite form of humor. Although, now that I think about it, I don't use it nearly as much as I used to. Yikes, does that mean I'm old?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yep

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe back in the day, but now that I'm a Mom, no

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Captn crunch or honey bunches of oats with the strawberries

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Usually not

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ooooh, so many! Butter pecan, peanut butter cup, cookies and cream, mint chip...I could keep going

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? superficial I know, but probably what they are wearing

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My stupid muffin top that just won't go away, even though I'm working my ass off to make it go buh bye

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Grandparents for sure. Others I miss ...Maureen's friendship, having a big group of girls that we my group, the closeness and emotional goodness that Rob and I shared at the beginning of our relationship

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans (shocker) and salmon colored converse

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The radio, 104.3-Lady Gaga

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Bright green

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Rob's deodorant (honest!) jasmine and gardenias, food cooking in the crock pot

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mama

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? LA Lakers basketball and Arizona Cardinals Football

27. HAIR COLOR? Brown with a few blonde chunks and a lot of gray's in the front eek!

28. EYE COLOR? Brown but usually blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Way too hard. How about food types? Mexican, Italian, American.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? At the movies it was "the vow" with Lanie and at home it was "tower hesit" with Rob

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both please

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice cream:) or Frozen Yogurt

37. IF YOU COULD MAKE A WISH: so many. I guess to be truly happy. And to never have to struggle with my weight again. And for everyone's health. And to have no money worries. And to be a bit taller. And smaller boobs.

38. WHAT (in general) IRRITATES YOU? Stupid people, stubborn people, lazy people, non-emotional people

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? No book at the moment, but I'm reading some magazines: cooking light, real simple and parents

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Mapcargo logo

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Interior Therapy, Jersey Shore and The Voice

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? Dom, live music, sophie snoring, Rob laughing

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? London

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Not really, but I always wanted one. I guess some people would say writing.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? London baby

47. WHAT WAS THE LAST NICE THING YOU DID FOR SOMEONE? Bought Lanie dinner last night, but we alternate every week so I'm not sure that counts. Ooh, I brought frozen yogurt home for Rob

48. WHERE DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER? In another lifetime

Birthday Mama Surpise!

Last night, we surprised my Mum for her 60th birthday.  We arranged a dinner for about 25 people at Roma Cucina and when she showed up, she was totally shocked.  It was awesome to make her feel so loved by so many people, and I hope she could feel the love that we all have for her.

I'm so thankful that everyone got the restaurant on time and when we all yelled "surprise!" she was definitely shocked!  Ahhhh, I love a good surprise! surprise

 After dinner was the real surprise.  We all went back to Stellagio and presented her with a slide show of her life.  Dimitri, Alexia, Marcus and I all worked our butts off to put this thing together.  We got photos out of storage, had family in London scan their photos and email them to us, we even had everyone do videos wishing my Mum a happy birthday.  Lexi and I were SO nervous before it began, we hoped that Mum would love it as much we thought she would.

It started with her as a little baby and followed her through out her teenage years, getting married, having four kids and turning 60.  She cried through the whole thing, and so did my Dad.  It was so sweet to watch them as they were glued to the screen.  It was like they relived their lives together through the photos and music and reminded them how precious their love is.  The night was a huge success!

After we left the party, my posse and I headed to "The Harp" for a couple of drinks to end the night.  I love my crew.  They are so funny and I always have such an awesome time hanging out with them.  The laughter never stops and there are always a few good photos to come out of it.

Losing 20

November 20th, 2011 is the day I went back to Weight Watchers. Since that day, I completely changed my eating habits, I’ve been working out 2-4 times a week and really giving it 100%. My first goal was 10lbs and I hit that. My next goal was 20lbs, and that was a little tougher to reach. But with persistence and commitment, I finally did it! Yesterday at my weigh in, I reached exactly 20lbs lost. Wooo hooo!

It felt so good to get to my goal! My next one is 26lbs. I know that seems like a weird number, but it’s the amount of weight that I had gained when I realized I had to do something to change it all around. I’ll be so happy if I can get there. The more weight I lose, the harder it is. And I’m losing my personal trainer in a few weeks, so I’m kind of panicking about that. Around the 20lb mark is when things start slowing down for me. My metabolism has gotten used to eating better, and I have to work extra hard. What usually starts to happen is I get frustrated, or burnt out. But I have to stay focused on what I’m doing and keep going. I can’t go back to where I was, I was miserable. I feel so much happier and healthy now; I just have to keep going!

Open House

Dom had his first open house yesterday. It was so cute to see him show us around his classroom, show us the books he likes to read the most and all the different projects he has been working on. He really loves his school so much, and that’s such a relief.

Rob and I are really happy with how it’s going, and know that it’s worth the extra money to give him a good, strong foundation for his education. He’s loving the school, the kids and the teachers. On Tuesday’s he also participated in gymnastics and Friday’s he has soccer. They come to his school for about 45 minutes and teach the basics. He really loves the extra –curricular activities and even though it’s another expense every month, we feel it’s worth it. What kid doesn’t love jumping around and kicking a soccer ball? But it’s also teaching him control, patience and coordination. Double bonus! I asked him what his soccer teachers name is and he told me “Coach!” I’m dying. Seriously.

Happy Birthday Mama Fudgie!

Today is my beautiful Mama’s 60th birthday!

She’s the most amazing Mom in the whole entire world and I’m so lucky to call her mine. She is completely selfless and so loving and generous. She does everything for everyone and never asks for anything in return. She works tirelessly to make sure her home is beautiful, Dad is happy and everyone has whatever they need. She hilarious, crazy, smart and my true life hero.

I love you so much Mama, Happy Birthday!