our house.

Our house
Is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our...
La la lalala la la lala la...

batman. lester.

what the twelve?!

2012? Seriously?! How in the world did it get to be 2012? Wasn't it just 1998? So weird. I'm starting to feel like an old lady.

I have a few ideas about how this year is going to go. I want to loose a little bit of weight. Just tone up, really. Two very special weddings are on my calendar this summer. There is talk of puppies and new apartments. And I am really inspired to travel. Well, let's face it, I'm always inspired to travel. But this year feels different. It feels important. Maybe as my life is changing, I'm realizing that I need to keep taking advantage of all this wonderful time I have. Time with my friends, and my family, and Todd. I've been feeling this way ever since my wonderful trip to DC last October.

So far on the ol' schedule I have a trip to Pittsburgh with my sister at the end of the month to visit my Gramma, a whirwind drive to Memphis with Todd and a weekend in NYC with two lovelies in February, a Marketing Summit in LA for work in March, Leah's bachelorette party in New Orleans in April (or March... or May...), an unplanned beach vacation with Todd in May, Cleveland wedding in June, and Michigan wedding in July.

The first half of 2012 is looking promising. (I better start saving my vacation time now!)

And to make this post a little more interesting, here are a few shots from '11 to ring in '12!

A Detroit wedding in May.
At Many Glacier in June.
Dora and I in happier times at my Mexican birthday dinner. (She didn't survive the night...)
Waiting in the Taco Line.
Rachie got married in November. (Isn't she beautious?)
Justin may have overstayed his welcome.
Ringing in the new year with beer that tastes like bacon. Seriously.
Happy New Year! May it be filled with adventure!

fall frenzy.

So, I guess November happened. You wouldn't know it by reading my blog though.

Let me just break down my fall season for you:
Four days in Phoenix for Rachael's Bachelorette Party. Todd's 25th Birthday. Alterations appointment #1 for bridesmaid dress. Order shoes for wedding. Don't fit. Return. Todd's brother Matt, his girlfriend Sarah, and his friend Nate stay with us while in town to run the Chicago Marathon. My high school friend Evan stays with us the following weekend, while in town for a convention. Stefanie's 29th Birthday. Job offer(!). My 28th Birthday. Notify current employer of new job offer. Discussions. Lots of discussions. Alterations appointment #2 for bridesmaid dress. Accept new position. Give notice to current employer. Sad. Exciting. Weekend in Washington DC with these beauties. Just what I needed. Stef goes to Mexico. Water Stef's menagerie of plants. Try not to kill them. Think about writing Maid of Honor toast. Panic. Order two pairs of shoes for wedding. One fits. Success. Clean apartment for 4 days straight in preparation for Justin's arrival. Halloween. (I went as Rosie the Riveter.) Clean again. Write Maid of Honor toast. Laundry. Justin arrives. Rachael's wedding weekend spectacular: Rehearsal/Dinner, drinks at the hotel, sleep-over, WEDDING DAY, drinks at the hotel, brunch, family hang-out time. A whole week of more Justin. Another wedding for a high school friend, just outside of Chicago. Send Justin home. Last week at old job. Two days. First day at NEW JOB. Thanksgiving. First full week at new job. Weekend in Milwaukee. Now.

Okay, you're up to speed. I'll do a better job of filling in the gaps later. As soon as I have a moment to breathe. So maybe in January.

P.S. IT'S CHRISTMAS!

heart and soul.

Sometimes there are people that you can always count on to bring you back up to where you need to be. Maybe you're feeling blue, or stressed, or manic, or overwhelmed, or straight up depressed. Just not feeling "you". But you see these people - for a drink, or a day, or a whole weekend - and you forget about everything else. You are at your best. You feel smart and successful and hilarious and like you could do anything or nothing and be totally content.

. Stay . Shay . A .
I spent last weekend in Washington DC with these beauts. I've known these girls since the first grade. We're pretty much the same now as we were then. Yeah... that's probably accurate.

We ate, we drank, we danced, we sang. We were straight up hooligans.
And we laughed for 48 straight hours.

One of the best weekends ever....
"We are BAAAAAACK! We are getting Doug BAAAAAACK!"

the sweetheart slingback.

A coworker told me today that she has been in 12 weddings. Twelve. Like, a dozen. (Not a baker's dozen. A regular dozen.) Twelve is a lot. I am only on my third, with a fourth on deck for summer 2012. So far, I've made out pretty well in terms of my required dress. (And, honestly, isn't that the main concern when agreeing to be in someone's bridal party?) I can't really give an example for the first wedding I was in because it was for a family friend in 2002, I was 18, and really had no involvement prior to showing up for the rehearsal. The dresses weren't great (sorry, Ily!), and I wore black strappy shoes with a square heel. But I mean, this was the era when a "formal" hair-do involved cornrow-like twists across the front of your head. For a post-millenium wedding, it worked. And will still probably be the fanciest wedding I ever attend.

Weddings 2 and 3 were/are for my high school buds Kate and Rachael (respectively). I blogged quite a bit last year about preparing for Kate's Christmas-y extravaganza, but I haven't been quite as chatty about getting ready for Rachie's day (which is coming up in just about THREE WEEKS!). Both girls are totally classic, and also awesome brides who were pretty much open to anything that made their ladies feel comfortable and pretty. Here's a little side by side comparison:

dresses: the dessy group | black shoes: guess | grey shoes: nine west
Sweetheart necklines and peep-toe slingbacks anyone? Ha. I knew they were similar, but didn't realize how almost exact the details were until I put them side-by-side like that. Down to the pleating across the bust! It just goes to show that some styles can fit many personalities. In both wedding parties there are girls of all shapes, heights, and *ehem* bosoms. These dresses look drop-dead gorgeous on all the ladies. For reals, yo.

As for Number 4, the wedding of my good buddies Dan and Leah, we'll get to choose from a color palette and a couple styles. (I'm sticking with the Dessy options, since I am clearly a preferred customer already. My color choice is "meadow", btw.) Here's my top 3:


And look! Only one has a sweetheart neckline! (Who wants to bet that's the one I choose??) And just for s and g's, how about these nude beauties for my feet:

You know. Just to keep things consistent. (And yes, every girl has chosen a different color for shoes. And yes, that is the nude patent version of the pair I bought for Kate's wedding. They're ridic comfortable.)

made for each other.

Todd: I need a shower.
me: me too. I really needed one this morning.
Todd: me too.
me: but I put my hair in a pony tail with a headband instead.
Todd: I wore a tshirt and a lot of deodorant.
me: I forgot deodorant...
Todd: hahaha. stinky.
me: we are so pretty.

P.S. Sometimes we do actually shower. Also, sometimes my face is not so pale that it blends in with my white tshirt.

toddler.

It is this little boy's 25th birthday today!


Can we just talk about how adorable he is for one second? (Please note the Mickey Mouse hat. True love.)
Happy Birthday, Bub!

game over.

A pink-less bachelorette party. Sh!t is about to get real for Rachael.

it's the real thing.

I have a Coca-Cola problem. It's a chronic condition I have been fighting totally embracing for most of my life. It's delicious. And refreshing. (As they say.)

via
My taste for this beverage is known throughout the lands. At my peak, (middle school and high school - when caffeine consumption was apparently my form of rebellion) I was probably drinking 6 cans a day. Yes, a full six-pack. One for breakfast, one for lunch, two after school, one for dinner, and one before bed. It's sad (awesome), but true. I probably should have started buying stock in the company as soon as I learned that two days worth of milk money bought me a Coke instead.

And don't ask if I would like a Pepsi, because I would not. Pepsi tastes like watered down Diet Coke. And Diet Coke is not real Coke. (Sorry Coca-Cola Co., it's not. And don't even get me started on "Coke Zero".) Here's a hilarious side tangent: Just the other night, I was at dinner with my sister at a new restaurant that opened on Division Street. Our waiter came over to take our drink orders, and I said "I'll have a Coke, if you've got it...", half expecting the "We have Pepsi, is that okay?" response. (see above) Instead, he said in a sing-song-y voice "Oooohhh, we actually have agave nectar cola, is that okaaay?" ... My sister claims I laughed in his face. I ordered a beer.

While I have (painstakingly) worked my daily intake of The Pause That Refreshes down to... wait for it... ONE per day* (I KNOW), our relationship is still real. It's the real thing.

via
*Okay, sometimes I have more than one. But fountain sodas shouldn't really count. If they don't have their mix right, it's mostly soda water anyway... right?

a special day.

Happy 1st Birthday, Ellie Z! Our littlest lady. We're so glad you're here.


I love you Mom! I miss you every day. I love when people tell me I remind them of you. (I bet you already knew that.)


P.S. I'm really liking that short perm my mom is rocking in that photo... too 1986? I think I could do it.