Rebecca wants blogging.

I know you're all just dying to read many, many blogs about my wonderful vacation (and by "all of you" I mean Rebecca...and by "dying to read" I mean interested in passing time via my blog).

I promise blogs (many blogs) with pictures! Just not yet - It's the first day back at work and they actually expect me to get things done today (seriously?!).

I'm hoping to upload my pictures and start my blogging this afternoon...

Until then, it was my most favorite vacation ever. The BF and I had an amazing time together, the first time we've spent 7 consecutive days right at each other's side (except for the 2 hours he left in the middle of the night - a VERY cute story that will be revealed in future blogs) and not only do we still like each other, I think we might like each other more after that :)

One more thing.

(I should be forgiven for the lack of posts - now I've posted twice today!)

I would like to highlight that there have been ZERO things checked off on my list of things to accomplish by the time I turn 26. ZERO. I'm quite certain that by this time last year I had a good start on my list of things to accomplish and given that I still didn't accomplish everything on that list within a year, I'm feeling slightly panicked by this lack of accomplishment.

I started to panic when I realized I need to go sledding and that winter is almost (don't worry Wisconsinites - I knocked on wood) over and there probably (knocked again) won't be any more snow...that is until I realized my birthday isn't until the end of December and in between now and then, there will definitely be more snow.

However, I do need to get more familiar with my list and start crossing some things off. Next time I'm bored, I should reference this list, to get more accomplished this year. I mean, come on, my list is only half as long this year, I should DEFINITELY be able to finish it.

Neglectful

I know, I know, I've been neglectful of the blog. But given the daily check up of my blogroll - it seems it's just a drought kind of week (or month in some cases) for everyone. Maybe March just doesn't bode well for writers?

At any rate - few things to re-cap &/or write about.

First - it's officially March Madness. And while I'll be the first to admit - I don't pay super close attention to the regular season of college basketball - I LOVE the SHIT out of some madness come March. I waited until the last possibly second to fill out my bracket (because that's how I roll). I did peruse over Obama's bracket and much like his campaign/presidency thus far - I don't agree with everything, but his choices are respectable. Also - though I didn't pull an Annie and take Cornell to the finish, I did feel the urge to rep Andy Bernard well and at least choose them for the win (but I didn't - I just felt like I should). So far I'm 3/4.

Second - two of my MN BFF's were in town this past weekend (yeah I know, and I'm just blogging about it on Thursday). We were originally planning on taking a vacation every year together (this decision was made before the economy took a deuce on my pocket book) so instead we opted for a weekend in Milwaukee this year. Yeah, that's right, a vacation in Milwaukee. Got beef with that? Didn't think so. We actually had a wonderful weekend, very relaxing and girly. Brief over view below.

Friday - girls got in around 6, went to Bravo for some wine & delicious Italian eats complete with great conversation, some of which I would never repeat (that's what best friends are for - unrepeatable conversations).

Saturday - woke up EARLY (earlier than I do for work) and went and got massages & facials at Neroli in Brookfield. The massage was amazing...Julie had magic hands and I can't remember the last time I was that relaxed. Also made me wonder if the "sensual journey" we went on to choose a massage oil included weed...I felt super high when I was done. Made me wonder why I so often choose to spend the same amount on a night out only to walk away w/ a hangover and waste of the following day. Vowed to spend more money on massages. And also to get them weekly, if not daily when I am rich (which seems more ridiculous to say now than it did when I was 5).

After this, we went to get breakfast, coffee & pedicures. All wonderful (except the pedis, mine was great, Tori & Gina's looked like a 5 year old did it..sorry to both of them, but it was luck of the draw, and I did have to wait the longest). Hit up Perkins like back in the day...good call Gina.

Went outlet mall shopping - got some good steals (I usually don't, so I was pretty excited about this). Made the incessant crowds and SERIOUS gathering of white trash (I hate to use that word but there is no other description for the general population of shoppers that day) more tolerable. (Note: If you're under the age of 18 and walking around with NUMEROUS children, perhaps you should NOT be shopping at BCBG...even if it is their outlet store - just an idea). (side note of the side note: I know that's judgemental...but seriously...you weren't there).

Ate dinner at the Rent's house, both girls wooed by Baby Jack (even Tori - which is pretty impressive if you know Tori). Favorite part about this was when Tori asked, "This might be a dumb question, but what do you do w/ a baby all day long?" To which my brother answered, "not dumb at all...I often going to bed wondering what the hell I did all day besides make an ass out of myself to keep the baby laughing instead of crying." Lessons learned during this dinner.

Finally - we went to Fat Abbey off of Water St. to meet up w/ some other friends for drinks. The girls got to meet Christian's friends...all hit it off well. Talked about traveling, ex-wives/fiances, and my ability to Internet stalk (or research, as we decided sounded better later) like I'm being paid to do so. Fat Abbey convinced me not all bars on Water St. make me want to shoot myself just to cause enough of a scene to evacuate the drunk underagers, brahs, & sluttily dressed dumb girls from the premises.

Contrary to what this post sounds like, I'm actually in a quite pleasant mood today and not nearly as bitter/angry as this post suggests!

I vow to at least put effort forth on one more post before I leave for Phoenix...maybe tomorrow I'll post about that...leaving for Phoneix :)

Free Flow

I think today's post will just be random thoughts that have crossed my mind this morning instead of any one cohesive & easy to follow thought. In this case, we'll bullet.

• Regular Coke. The only cure I have found to help a hangover tummy. It does make me sort of said that it's a job Diet Coke can't get done as I much prefer Diet to regular Coke.
• It is amazing to me how therapeutic fajitas, sangria and being w/ your best friends can be (even if it does lead to the necessity of drinking a regular coke the next morning).
• This past 48 and next 48 hours are filled with people I love being around. Some I get to be around quite often, and some I don't get to see nearly as much as I'd like to. I also much prefer being around the people I love to not being around them.
  
• Sometimes I make snap judgments about things and then because of my stubbornness I stick w/ the decision even if I question it slightly. This is not exclusive to things that really matter. In fact, the great majority of the time, this process takes place regarding things that really don't matter at all. Some recent discoveries I've found that I LOVE and snap judged in the beginning, Desperate Housewives, Twitter, & Green Peppers. I'm quite happy to have all three of those things in my life right now.
• That wonderful man of mine, forces me to NOT snap judge sometimes and it's making me realize how often I said, "No" or "I don't like that" without even realizing it before...it makes me smile to know that I'm finally in one of those relationships where the other person encourages you to better yourself and you want to better yourself for that person. That's kind of cool.
• I've got an appointment tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. to get a massage. And while there's few things I'm okay with getting up that early for, I suppose getting out of one bed to get into another bed where someone is going spend an hour rubbing me down makes the list. And if you're asking yourself, "Why would you possible schedule it that early in the morning??" I have a two part answer. One, I procrastinate religiously. And two, we need early morning appointments so there's plenty of time to go shopping & then out to dinner & drinks. I'm a big fan of tomorrow already.

Have a wonderful weekend blogosphere...I'll get back to you on Monday with hopefully a slightly less random more fluid thought process...however, because it's Friday I think I should be forgiven.

Rollercoastery.

This will probably sound like a post full of complaints...but really it's not, it's more or less an observational post.

I feel very up and downy lately...like a roller coaster perhaps...therefore, I feel rollercoastery. (I said it was an observational post, not one full or real words).

Sometimes I need to remind myself of certain things that are both out of my control but also completely spurring said up and downyness. One, the weather. The weather & outside climate are entirely rollercoastery too. Given my location (good old WI), it is entirely possible (and just happened) to go from 60 and sunny to snowing & freezing all within 72 hours. So I know the weather makes me feel all hot, then cold, sunny, then foggy.

Secondly, (here comes a TMI part for any male readers - which shouldn't be a problem given that I know of 3 reader all of which are females), I am quite sure that the birth control pill I'm on right now is making me a little crazy. I had been taking Yasmin for like 6 years and never felt crazy (save one or two days here and there). Recently, the pharmacist switched me over to the generic version of Yasmin, which I didn't think would make that much difference...but I'm quite sure I'm wrong. It kind of feels like more often than not I'm a little crazy...nothing major, I have yet to inflict serious pain or consequence on anyone or myself. However, last week I did yell at a completely unreasonable volume when the BF tried to put salsa in my queso dip. (seriously - I did. My jaw dropped and I called myself a crazy bitch). So I'm pretty sure I'm going to see about going back to the original pill that did not make me crazy and therefore a lot easier to be around. The BF has the patience of a Saint sometimes with me. Saint Christian.

I also need to remind myself from time to time of some other factors, out of my control that contribute to the little bit of unrest & foggy feeling I have in my head. There's little say about these factors as I'm pretty sure most of you are either also dealing with them or have dealt w/ them in the past.

1. I'm 25 years old. I used to think I'd have a lot more clarity in life by this point, turns out, not so much.

2. The current state of the economy. I know things are going to get better. As my good friend JT always reminds me, it's always darkest before the dawn. In the meantime, I can't help but getting caught up in feeling like we're in a crazy downward spiral! (My man Barry will get us out though - I have faith, yes we can).

So really I have no solutions or decisions made about this...just that I feel a little foggy. A good reflection of the weather today, at least that's on the same page! :)

Random Things

I was going to blog about whether or not I want to cut my hair short again or grow it back to long, until I realized I'm pretty positive I want to keep it short. (Blogging does more than just therapy - it also helps me make decisions!)

So instead this will end up being a totally random post full of things that don't necessarily coincide with each other...which means we shall bullet.

• it's really nice out today...almost 60 degrees, which in WI automatically means people are driving with their windows down, pulling out their shorts & packing away the parkas...Though the chances of it lasting more than 3 days in a row are slim to none, I've already decided to proclaim that spring has sprung. (this is a good thing).
• my car died yesterday. (this is a bad thing). Not sure why or what happened. I was at the coffee shop, went to leave and Libby was apparently not ready to go. We tried jumper cables, no such luck. So I had to have her towed (I actually said, upon trying to start her for the last time, "Look Libby, we're going whether you like it or not" - which is a whole 'nother post about how I give way too much credit & concern to inanimate object's feelings & emotions). I called the mechanic this afternoon and they still hadn't gotten around to figuring out what was wrong.
• I'm driving the company pick-up truck in the mean time (depending on the time of day/situation this is both a good & bad thing). I have so far enjoyed the fact that when people pull up next to me or watch me enter/exit the truck they more often than not do a fun double take and the girl in high heels & houndstooth getting into the giant pick-up truck. That part has provided me with entertainment.
  
• Bella LOVED riding in it this morning because she can run back and forth from driver's seat to passenger seat without any obstruction (very safe). I have NOT enjoyed driving the truck when it comes to parking...I've parked very far away from the entrance of most places I'm going in hopes of NOT hitting any persons/parked cars/light poles.
• One of my favorite restaurants in the area (Champps, I know they exist elsewhere) added outdoor seating at the very end of last summer. We've been saying how much we'd love if they had a patio and that that would make it our "go to" spot in the summer for meeting up for dinner and drinks. As I said, they added that at the end of the summer (so with little time for enjoying) after fighting with the city for EIGHT years to get a permit (unbelievable!). Now today, we went there for lunch and I find out they're also making another big improvement...as of April they'll be switching from Pepsi to Coke products, thus making Champps one of my well rounded, preferred restaurants. (It should be noted that I got excited enough about this that it spurred my brother to announce, "Sometimes Angie makes me want to throw up", that should explain whether this falls in the good or bad column).

p.s. Why in the world does Champps have to p's in it? It's always bothered me and now it bothers my blogspot spellcheck.

Recipe of the Week...er, Month..er Every Other Month?

So apparently I'm not so great at posting recipes. I don't try new recipes nearly as often as I thought I would. But I'll start posting the good ol' standby ones in the mean time.

I make this often...when it's just me, when I'm making dinner for the BF, when I have company over, whenever. It's easy peasy, tastes great, pretty impressive, and good comfort food.

Rachael Ray's Meatballs (this was a GREAT RR find...as opposed to others I've tried)

1 1/4 ground sirloin (I've used ground turkey too and it's just as tasty)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten (I almost ALWAYS forget to beat it first and try to beat it once in the bowl)
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt & pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (I use my hands, it's kind of nasty feeling but it's the easiest way - you don't want to break apart the meat too much or the texture of the meatballs changes). Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls (I do bigger, just because I like them that way - oh, and because I can). Place them onto a cookie sheet greased with EVOO (or extra virgin olive oil for those of you who don't follow Rachael Ray). Cook for 10-12 minutes or until they're no longer pink in the middle...I usually have to cook them a little longer - my balls are bigger than RR's. (hahahahah). They end up really moist (I hate that word, but it's true), super tasty and are a favorite of all who have tried them (seriously - most people ask for this recipe after they've tried them).

She also has a recipe for sauce that goes along with this - but I'll be honest - I use spaghetti sauce from a jar. (I just made homemade meatballs, what more do you want from me!??)

Day Two in MPLS - Part II

First I have to apologize - utterly disappointed in my blogging - as I'm posting about events that happened over a week ago! Secondly - I'm blogging early (and possibly often today) for two reasons. One, 1/3 of my fan base requested I do so and two, I was also disappointed this morning as I went through my usual suspects on the blog roll and no one had updated :(

So - here goes Day two, Part II.

After the cheerleading competition we skywalked back to the hotel. I will say, it's lucky I had the BF with me or I might still be skywalking back to the hotel. Turns out - my internal sense of direction, not so good. By the time we got back, it was most definitely time for a nap. Turned on National Lampoon's European Vacation (just in time to see my dad's favorite part - the roundabout in London) and fell asleep within minutes in the amazing bed. (we're used to a queen size +1 doggy back home - so the king size was quite the treat - I think I woke up at one point in the middle of the night and felt like I had to journey back to the middle of the bed).

We had made plans to grab dinner w/ two of my favorite couples. Both sorority sisters. Both completely un-like most sorority girls. Both former roommates of mine. Both great friends & super fun people. I had intended on dinner being a small group of close friends (& their husbands) so that the BF could ease into meeting new people and have a couple people he knew well before we opened the flood gates.

We went to Brit's Pub on Nicolet Mall for dinner...it was delicious - I had the Guinness Pot Roast and it was a HUGE serving - but absolutely wonderful. Rebecca had the same - John & Christian had fish & chips...Gina had tandoori chicken and I honestly can't remember what Ben had...but everyone was pleased with their meals. We also had a few rounds of beer and great conversation (which included but was not limited to: boobs, dogs, babies, rodeos, peeing your pants, & Rebecca & I's bad semester of school). All in all it was exactly what I wanted dinner to be - Christian got a chance to really get to know some important people in my life - and they got to know him.

After we ate, other friends started showing up. We had grown into quite a large group! It was great to see my MN friends, for them to get to meet Christian and for him to finally realize why I never shut up about how cool my MN friends are and therefore, why I think MN is so great.

Fast forward (warning: this part will be brief & without many details as here is when the night got a little fuzzy) - through a few (and I use that term loosely) more rounds of beer, a couple of shots and you've got us traveling by cab to Bootleggers (Ben was right, this was a horrible idea and it wasn't until we got there that I agreed). Paid the $5 cover to get into Bootlegger's, ordered a round of drinks, Christian showed up with a slice of Pizza (?), and immediately knew it was time to go home. Slammed the drinks (oops) and hailed a cab. Gina had planted the seed of Burrito Loco weeks before this visit and I wasn't easing up on it...cabbed it to campus for some Loco. (Just Christian & I at this point - we've slowly lost members of the group). Got to Loco - ordered, peed, realized the BF forgot his credit card back at Bootlegger's.

The only reason we KNOW we were annoyingly drunk at this point is that when we told the Cab driver that Christian was just going to run in & get his card, I'd stay in the car if he'll just wait for Christian - he tried explaining that we could BOTH get out and then just grab another cab when we were ready. Which means, he wanted us out of the cab more than he wanted the money he'd get for just sitting in his car. We convinced him to let me stay & wait.

At some point I hit my head...hard. Christian still denies this happened - I know it did, I had a bump (IT WAS TOO A BUMP!). Got back to the hotel safely (not sure how). I didn't even eat my burrito loco but instead just went to bed (or passed out - as I'm pretty sure it wasn't a choice).

Slept in, woke up, went out to Brunch w/ Ben & Rebecca. (No, they don't belong to each other, but Jon had to work and Gina was unable to partake). Went to Ike's downtown. They have caramel Cinnamon buns the size of a dinner plate...with a floating pad of butter on top & as many forks as people at the table just stuck into it's ooey gooey center. Great brunch. I'd definitely recommend to anyone interested in gluttonous eating to the point of wanting to vomit.

...which is pretty much where I spent the majority of the ride home.

As a small side note - upon Rebecca & John's suggestions that Dramamine is a cure all of pretty much anything - but mostly in regards to post-drinking nausea, I made the BF stop at 3 gas stations in the middle of Nowhere, WI to find non-drowsy Dramamine. Couldn't find any...so instead I got nacho cheese/pretzel combos & a Sprite - it did the trick.

All in all, great weekend. Had tons of fun, got to so many of the people I miss on a daily basis. Spent the first weekend away with the BF and we loved being together non-stop and didn't hate each other by the end. It will definitely be one of my favorite weekends of '09.

P.S. Rebecca - Blogger is trying to tell me I don't know how to spell your name...it had me convinced enough that there were to b's in your name to check Facebook. Turns out, I was right. Angie 1, Blogspot 0.