Off to the Rivah!!

We leave tonight after my wedding to head down to Sailor Boy's family's river house. You have no idea how badly I need this! Be back Wednesday night!! Happy Labor Day!!

J.Crew, you have redeemed yourself

So I was online shopping this morning before work (which I do pretty regularly...oops) and I noticed that a dress that I've been obsessed with for MONTHS is now on sale and they actually have my size. I had been stalking this dress for quite awhile, but unfortunately, they never seemed to have my size in ANY colors. But today they had it in 3 colors!!! So I quickly snatched up this dress, in the color "sweet papaya":

Since J.Crew has been so touch and go recently, I knew I had to act quickly. I'm super happy and I proceed to get ready for work. As I'm driving to work, I start to doubt my color choice. I'm worried that the papaya color may be un-flattering as it may show every flaw and it might even be a little thin/see through up top (which would be super un-ladylike, if you know what I mean). So I decide that the "classic navy" may be a better choice:

As soon as I get into work this morning, I check the website to see if I still have time to make edits to the order. Unfortunately, my 20 minute window is up. So I call J.Crew and cross my fingers that they will let me change colors...I'm a little nervous since it's final sale and there's no returns.

I speak to a nice guy named Jason and I explain that I just wanted to see if I could switch colors. He tells me that the order has already gone through and that the timeframe to make changes to the order is expired. BUT he says he can go ahead and order the dress for me in the Navy color and then allow me to return the papaya one when I get it...AMAZING!! I was so happy since it's technically final sale! AND he didn't charge me for shipping on the Navy dress since I already paid it for the papaya dress!! So I'm getting BOTH dresses later this week and if I absolutely LOVE them both, I can keep them both, but I can also return the papaya one if I feel like it's a little thin. Does anyone have this dress or has seen it in person? I just think it will be perfect to throw on to run errands or hang out in. I can't wait till I get them!!!

Quick Monday Post

Just a quick little post to thank Magnolias Marriage and Manhattan for my very first blog award!! Yay! Thanks so much MMM! And super congrats on your wonderful little boy...I can't wait to keep reading about your pregnancy and see pictures of the baby when he gets here this February! I love your blog!

The rules for the Award:

1. Put the award logo on your blog (see above - The Diamond Award! who doesn't love diamonds??)

2. Add the person who nominated you to your blog roll

3. Nominate 7 other blogs.

4. Add those blog links to your blog roll

5. Let them know you nominated them

I nominate:
Red and White Preppy
Le Petite Blog
More More More
Well I do Declare
Flamingos and Flip Flops
Vineyard Girl
Wila's Way

This week is pretty hectic at work, so I may not be blogging too much! But I hope everyone has a fabulous week and enjoy your Labor Day weekend! I can't believe summer is over already - it went way too fast!!!

It's a new day

I'm putting yesterday behind me. It's like it never happened. I woke up this morning and I told myself I would be less stressed and have a great day today.

Moving forward from that, my two new items from J.Crew that came yesterday are both fabulous and I'm actually wearing the top as we speak. Love it! I'm having girls happy hour tonight with my two besties and I can't wait. It's been too long since I've seen both of them. I may or may not partake in several glasses of wine.

This weekend is pretty jammed packed. We have a party in Baltimore on Saturday evening, our friends are hosting on their roof top patio. Should be wonderful. Sunday we're doing yard work (Sailor boy is SO excited...haha) and then we have a neighborhood block party. I'm excited to get to know some more of our neighbors. We're really loving the new place and the new 'hood...everyone is so friendly and welcoming. It's one of the best things about living in an actual house as opposed to our old apartment. I never knew any of our neighbors the entire time we lived in the apartment. It was sort of bizarre.

I've also decided I need to start working out more. I take the puppy on two 2 mile walks a day, but it's not really cutting it. I need cardio like whoa. I can't decide whether I should join a gym or just start with a running program on my own. Mainly, I just need motivation...I know once I start doing it, I will get into a routine and love it. I think I will start with that tomorrow....hehe.

No Good Very Bad Day

Do you ever have one of those days you wish would just never have happened? Like, you probably just shouldn't have gotten out of bed? Welcome to my day. I can't really pinpoint exactly WHY it's so bad, it just is. Work is ridiculously insane, and it really won't be slowing down until October. The next 3 weekends here are so busy I want to cry when I think about it. We have 3 weddings here Labor Day weekend (2 Saturday and 1 Sunday). All of these weddings are super high maintenance, with some annoying family dynamics and mom-zillas thrown in. (in my opinion, moms are usually worse than the brides) Because I have to work all holiday weekend, I then get to be off Monday (Labor Day), Tuesday and Wednesday to make up for it. This would be great, except for we have the biggest wedding I've seen at the hotel the following weekend (September 6th). Literally, it's a $400,000 wedding. They are draping, lighting, tenting, having ice bars, etc, etc. So I know I won't be able to enjoy the mini-vaca because I will be so stressed out over all the details for that wedding. But I also know that I NEED to take this mini-vaca because I will be super stressed and tired after Labor Day. Being the sweetie that he is, Sailor Boy has also taken those extra days off of work, so we can spend some time together. He's the best :-) He's suggested that we go down to his parents river house again, which would be great, because it would force me to relax and take my mind off work. So we'll see.

Since I've been so stressed out, I have pretty much gouged on chocolate the past few days and now I feel disgusting. It's really bad. I'm giving Spencer like a 2 hour walk tonight to try and feel better (mentally and physically) One good thing about today is that my J.Crew 30% off sale items will be waiting for me when I get home :-) Here's what I ordered:

Hopefully these two things can cheer me up and break me out of this funk!

YUM!

I was running some errands today and I ended up at the grocery store to grab a few things. As I was getting out of the car, I realized I was starving. Well me + grocery shopping on an empty stomach = bad news for my bank account and my waistline. When I grocery shop when I'm hungry, I usually buy everything in sight, especially unhealthy snacks. So I decide that I need to get something in my stomach ASAP. Luckily, there's a Starbucks in our grocery store. I ordered one of their new Vivanno Smoothies, the banana chocolate. I was very pleasantly surprised by how yummy it was! It was very chocolatey, with a slight hint of the banana flavor. The best part...only 270 calories, 5 grams of fat. Plus, it has 21 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber! It really could be a full meal (like my lunch today). There's a whole banana in each smoothie! I would highly recommend it, especially if you need something quick to fill you up.

Also, I was at TJ Maxx today...I did not know they sold Vera Bradley! I ended up getting a new Vera wallet because my old one is definitely on it's last legs. I also went to PetSmart to get Spencer a little present. She's grown so much in the 4 months since we first got her and she's finally broken the 50 pound mark. She's also a very stubborn puppy, so I got her a harness collar, since walking her can be quite a pain. She's surprisingly strong, and there's been a few times that she's pulled me HARD, so I'm hoping the harness will cut down on the amount she can pull while we're walking. We'll see how well it works. And just because I love showing off pics of my adorable little pup, here's some new pics of her lounging in her bed, which is her favorite thing to do.

Summertime Pie

I'm not much of a baker (is that even a word?). I finally feel pretty comfortable with cooking dinner, so I'm guessing it will be a while before I'm conquering the oven with homemade cakes and cookies. Obviously, I am a HUGE fan of dessert. So I'm always on the hunt for dessert that doesn't require me to bake, measure out too many things and is yummy. I subscribe to the quarterly Kraft Food magazine, which has a ton of very easy and tasty receipes that even a novice chef like myself can make. I came across this recipe in an issue a while ago, tried it, loved it and now it's my go-to summer receipe anytime I need to make a dessert for a party, or just because we're in the mood for pie. It's Lime Chiffon Pie and it really is so simple to make. I prepared it in less than 15 minutes on Monday. Sailor Boy is a huge fan of Key Lime Pie, so this is sort of like that, only easier and much better for you! (I think it has like 120 calories per slice)

LIME CHIFFON PIE:
2/3 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Lime Flavor Sugar Free Low Calorie Gelatin
ice cubes
1/2 cup cold water
1-1/2 tsp. grated lime peel
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP FREE Whipped Topping
1 ready-to-use reduced-fat graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.)

STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to measure 1 cup. Add to gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Stir in lime peel and juice.

ADD whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Refrigerate 15 to 20 min. or until mixture is very thick and will mound. Spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE at least 4 hours or overnight. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

YUM!!!

Unrelated - J.Crew is now offering 30% off of their final sale items. I ordered a cute top, which I think would work for work and going out. Love it!

Work....grrrrr

Not sure if I've blogged about this before. My department at work consists of me and two other women. I handle all the weddings (selling, planning and day of coordination during the event) and they handle all other events (corporate groups, meetings, parties, etc.). They have both been at the hotel alot longer than me and they are both older than me. It's also no secret that they both don't like me...and the feeling is mutual. I've never had a job where I haven't gotten along with my co-workers, and it really sucks. They make no secret of it and completely degrade me and find things wrong with my work (even though they are not my bosses in any way shape or form). I, in turn, try to just avoid them and do my work independently. Luckily for me, my boss is really on my side and supports me when I get frustrated with them. Literally, I have had these women "tattle" on me for small issues...it's seriously ridiculous.

Anyways, to the point. Yesterday was my day off and I had made plans to meet with one of the mother's of a previous bride that I dealt with earlier this summer. I wasn't exactly excited to meet this woman, as she's really long winded and very prim and proper, but she had some wedding planning questions for me, so I decided to be professional and meet her for coffee at 11:30am. I knew the meeting would last for hours, and I was sort of dreading it. I had already formulated an excuse to have to leave by 12:30...I figuring an hour would be a reasonable time to give this woman. Well I get to Starbucks yesterday at 11:25, order my skim chai latte and sit in a comfy chair to wait. 11:40, 11:45, 11:50, 11:55...I finally decide, you know what, I'm not waiting anymore...this is my day off, the weather is amazing and I'm going to enjoy it. So I left. I didn't have the woman's cell phone to call her.

So I go about my day, running errands, getting lunch at Whole Foods, etc. Around 1:00pm, my cell phone rings. It's a number I don't recognize, so I don't answer it (I never answer it if I don't know who is calling me). 1:30, call from the same number. At this point, I put 2 and 2 together and realize it's the woman I was supposed to meet. Well you know what...this is my day off and I'm not dealing with it. She can wait until tomorrow for me to call her back. I mean, she's the one who was late, not me. Well she calls me FOUR MORE TIMES over the course of the afternoon. I told you, she's sort of crazy and very long winded. But then I think...how did she get my cell phone number? We didn't exchange them. My lovely co-workers must have given it to her. I AM PISSED!!! Seriously, I didn't even want to give THEM my cell phone number when I started working there and now they are giving it out to random people and past clients??? I think that is so unprofessional and rude. If anything, THEY should have called me to tell me that she was looking for me...not just give it to her.

Apparently, when she showed up (at 12:15) at Starbucks and saw I wasn't there, she went over to the hotel where I work to see if maybe I was in the office....umm lady, you KNEW it was my day off, why would I go to work?? Well then she starts asking where I am, and one of "them" (meaning, bitchy coworkers) came out to talk to her and gave her my number to call me. I am just really upset by this. I got in the office this morning and everyone was like "you had the whole hotel in an uproar looking for you...why did you leave that lady waiting??" UMM WHAT??? I waited for 30 minutes....she never came. Sorry if I do not want to waste my day off sitting in a Starbucks by myself waiting for an appointment that I don't even WANT.

I don't think I'm the only person who would feel like this...when I'm not working, I don't want to think about work, worry about work, talk to anyone I work with, etc. That's why you have days off...to get away from work. I had a few words with my co-workers this morning about giving out my number to random people. I'm also going to send a follow up email (with my boss CC'd on it) just stating that I do not want my personal information given out to anyone. I just think that's common sense. I really think I should just change my cell phone number and not give it to ANYONE!!

Whole Foods Salad Bar

Completely random post, but I am completely obsessed with the Salad Bar at Whole Foods. Actually, I'm obsessed with Whole Foods in general, but especially the salad bar. We can't really afford to shop there regularly, but I do get cravings for the salad bar every few weeks and I indulge myself. Yes, the salad bar is $7.99 a pound (my salad from today was close to $9.50!!!), but it's just sooooo good. I love all the veggies, plus all the pre-made salads they have too. I usually make it like half regular green salads, then the other side a few fun salads. I grabbed one on my way home from running errands today and then sat outside eating it and throwing the ball for Spencer. The weather is seriously AMAZING today!! Go outside and enjoy it!

Ew.

Is it wrong that I think it's gross that Sailor Boy went away for a camping/canoing/fishing weekend with his buddies and didn't bring his toothbrush or deodorant??? I mean, I understand "roughing it", but that's just gross. He will NOT be getting a hug or kiss when he gets back tonight!

Olympic Fever!

I am absolutely obsessed with the Olympics!! Summer, Winter, it doesn't matter. So obviously I'm super psyched about the games starting tonight. I have a wedding at work tonight, so I've already set my DVR to record it so I can watch as soon as I get home. I especially love the swimming, diving and gymnastics.

That being said...Michael Phelps, can you please shave that gross facial hair??? You look ridiculous!
However, I would like to be that woman's hand touching his amazing abs! WOWZA!!!

Not so recent find...

I'm allergic to nuts. It's a relatively new thing, so it's still sort of a transition for me. I grew up eating all nuts, peanut butter sandwiches, etc. When I was 20, I was waitressing at a local italian restaurant for the summer. On my break one day, I went down to the kitchen to make myself a salad. I put a spoonful of pinenuts on the top of my salad, for a little crunch. I take one bite of my salad and within seconds, I realize something is wrong. My throat and mouth are covered in bumps and I realize my throat is closing up. Really scary stuff!! My boss takes me to the ER, where they give me some shots and tell me I was in the beginning stages of anaphylactic shock. Luckily I got there quickly, because it could have been alot worse. UMM WOW. So I go to an allergist later that week, where he tests me for ALL nuts, and they all come back positive. He's not sure why it happens, but he tells me that alot of adults do develop allergies to foods they've eaten their whole life.

So that leads me to the next 6 years of my life, where I have to be super careful with what I eat and cut out alot of the foods I used to enjoy. It definitely sucks, but what are you going to do. The hardest part is that I really do miss eating alot of foods, because I know how good they are (pb and j sandwich?? YUM! All candy with peanut butter?? DOUBLE YUM!). It's not like a little kid, who has never eaten these foods, so they don't really know what they're missing. My mom and I started doing some research into alternatives that I could eat and after alot of trial and error (including eating some really gross stuff), we found Sunflower Seed Butter.

I tried soy butter, but really didn't like the consistency and it didn't taste quite right to me. But the Sunbutter, as it's called, is delicious!! I love the taste (it actually tastes SO close to peanut butter, you really wouldn't be able to tell on a sandwich) and I like that it comes in both creamy and chunky (my fave). You can only find it at like Whole Foods or Trader Joes, but I'm hoping that eventually they will start to carry it in regular grocery stores. With all the food allergies out there, it's a great option for any families that can't even keep peanut butter in house (my allergy isn't any where near that bad...I have to actually eat nuts to have a reaction). I use it all the time, even in recipes that call for peanut butter, and it always comes out well. So while this isn't a recent find for me, I wanted to share for anyone who is allergic to nuts and is looking for a peanut butter alternative. Even if you're not allergic to nuts, you may want to try it...it's that good!

R.I.P.

Rest in Peace Rainbow Flip Flops. You had a good and long life. You were my constant companion these past 9 years. You got me through all 4 years of college, plus all the years afterwards. You were perfectly broken in and dirty. You survived parties, bars, shopping, the beach, the pool, the boat. In the past few months, you've had some close encounters with the dog, including one where she put a hole in your sole. But you overcame and still continued to be my favorite shoes. But yesterday, you weren't so lucky. I couldn't protect you while I was in the shower and now you're gone. Done. Finished. It's really my own fault for leaving you on the floor with the bedroom door open. You probably didn't even see it coming. When I saw you in 60 pieces in the dog bed, I just about died. You didn't even look like a flip flop, just a hunk of brown leather.

But you were a wonderful, comfortable pair of flops these past years. I won't be able to really ever replace you (even though I have already ordered another pair). I will miss you. R.I.P.

Monday, Monday

Our weekend wasn't totally ruined by the mouse (see previous post)...we actually had quite a fun and full weekend. I had 2 weddings at work, but they were both really beautiful and the bride's were both relaxed and awesome! The Saturday bride had a truly preppy wedding...complete with madras ties for the groom and groomsmen, tons of hydrangeas in every color and an adorable cake with blue and white polka dot ribbon! I loved it all!!

Sunday evening we went to a cookout at my BFF K's house...where I ate and drank way too much :-) We took Spencer with us and she had a little "puppy play date", as our friends who also have a 7 month old puppy brought theirs as well. Their dog is a chocolate lab/pit bull mix named Wallace and he's so adorable!! The puppies literally did not stop playing and chasing each other the entire time we were there. To say Spencer was tired this morning was an understatement...we had to drag her out of bed! I wish they could play like that every day...get some of her energy out!! Here's some pics I took of the two of them "wrassling":That last pic is my favorite...they finally got tired and chilled in the grass with their tongues out...so cute!!

I made Texas Caviar to bring to the party, which is one of my favorite party foods for summer. There's so many variations of it and it's just so yummy with chips or crackers. The recipe I use is from Southern Living:

Ingredients

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15.8-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, rinsed and drained
1 (8-ounce) jar medium picante sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill, stirring occasionally, 8 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

I also tried Paula Dean's zucchini bread recipe and I have to say, I was disappointed. The bread came out super dry...I like my zucchini bread really moist (even though i HATE that word). The recipe called for chocolate chips and I'm so glad I put them in because that was the only thing in the bread to give it any sort of flavor. Usually Paula's recipes (especially her desserts/sweets) are SO good...oh well!

Today is my mom's birthday (Happy Birthday mom!!) so we went out to lunch at this great mexican restaurant near my house. I needed to run some errands after lunch and of course, I spent way too money and didn't really get anything I actually needed. I got the most adorable purple and black print Helen Wang dress at TJ Maxx, for $39! It will be perfect for the end of the summer. I also got amazing brown sling back heels, which I've actually been looking for. I'm still shopping for a few last little touches for the house...we need a few more things to hang on the wall. Sailor Boy's parents are coming for dinner on Sunday, so I want the house to look cute and put together. Guess I'll have to keep shopping!! :-)

OMG

This morning, we slept in (well, 8:30, which is sleeping in for us) and finally Sailor Boy forced himself out of bed to take Spencer out when she started whining. While he was walking her, I went to the bathroom. I didn't put my glasses on and I obviously didn't have my contacts in yet. I lift the toilet lid and find this:

That's right - there's a HUGE mouse IN THE TOILET. Being blind without my contacts in, I assume it's dead, since I can't really see too much. It was actually a good thing I hadn't put my glasses on, because I would have been much more traumatized if I could really see it. So I scream, shut the lid and sit on the couch freaking out until Sailor Boy and Spencer return home. Well Sailor Boy and I had some cocktails last night and he was feeling a bit rough this morning. He walks in and here's our conversation:

Me: Umm you need to go look in the toilet right now
Him: No way
Me: Yes, you HAVE to...we have a problem
Him: No way, not gonna do it
Me: You are the man in this relationship...DO IT
Him: WAAAAA....fine

So he goes in, lifts the lid, promptly shuts the lid and then shudders. IT WAS ALIVE!!!!! I couldn't make it out in my blindness, but that sucker was alive and practically swimming around in there. Well I thought it would be easy - flush the toilet, flush the mouse. So we flush. No dice, he's still in there. We flush again, and again. Apparently he's flush proof.

Sailor Boy had to fish him out of the toilet with a little net, put him in a bucket and then "dispose" of him in the backyard. It was totally disgusting and horrible...I think we're both freaked out by it!

What a wonderful start to our Sunday!!

Question

So Wednesday, I braved the craziness that is the J.Crew website and ordered this dress:
Put in all my information, credit card, free shipping code and press submit. I get the pop screen thanking me for my order. Well I still haven't gotten an email from J.Crew verifying my order. I also can't see the order under my account information. Does that mean I didn't order it? Is the website that screwed up that it didn't really go through?? I don't want to re-order it if the order really did go through. I guess I will just have to call them and check. GRRRR J.Crew...