The Bachelor Recap

So how crazy was the bachelor tonight? I feel so bad for Jake right now, my heart just sank when I saw him cry (even though he has done it a lot this seaon) but you could tell he was just broken up over it. Personally, how DUMB do you have to be to leave for a job? A job is not going to keep you warm at night, it's not going to give you companionship, strength when you are weak, hugs or kisses, laughter, it's nothing compared to love. So if you ask me, she made a huge mistake because he adored her.

Also makes me wonder, who was he really going to pick to leave tonight because after he pleaded her not to go, I have a hard time wondering if she was the chosen to leave. Guess we'll never know. But in the preview for next week she calls, hopefully it's to come crawling back because, as whiney as she was they are good together, no doubt.


In other news, I am drained as usual... over the weekends I feel so alive, I feel good but when Monday arrives I am blahhhh. And it's not because of lack of sleep, I dont know what it is.

But anyway, I am going to head to bed... Happy Monday!

Sunday Fun Day

I really do adore Sunday's. Even though I am reminded that this is my last day of untamed freedom before I start another busy week of work, wedding planning, reading, organizing etc, I truly enjoy this day. I woke up early, had a great breakfast (thanks dad) ran some errands, got a Starbucks ice venti chai latte, got a new book, "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin and found out about a couple wonderful new blogs which I will be adding to my blogroll.

Speaking of errands, let me tell you about witnessing good karma before my very eyes while running errands today. As you all know, today is Superbowl Sunday, with some people coming over I ran up to Kroger to grab some last minute goodies, knowing full well I would have to brave the masses. (People who know me know when I am out and about, even if I do have all the time in the world, I just get in and get out) well as I was stampeding down an aisle I was stopped by a man who said:

"I know you don't work here, but can you help me?"
I stopped for a minute and said, "Sure"
"I am looking for condensed cream of mushroom soup, what is condensed anyway"
knowing it has to do with water, i said "It has something to do with water"
"OK, but I don't see anything with condensed"
After scanning the cans, I pointed it out "Here you go! Condensed cream of mushroom"
With a big smile on the mans face replied "You're the best, thank you"

I smiled to myself as I turned to continue my mission of getting Superbowl treats. I didn't grab a cart or a basket while I walked in so I didn't temp myself with a magazine or some other unnecessary goodies so as I was juggling my 4 cans of canned chicken, 2 blocks of cream cheese, 2 bags of Frito's, a bottle of blue cheese dressing and a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese I turned a corner and dropped a can of chicken, as I was bending down to grab it an elderly man hands equally full of treats grabbed the can before me and handed it back. I smiled and said thank you and he replied "No problem" as I was heading to the checkout feeling good about the small gesture I got in line. Standing there with two people in font of me - baskets stacked to the brim of groceries, the lady behind me saw my juggling act and asked:

"Would you like to use my cart to free your arms?"

I was so touched by her sweetness. I stood there in line, not angry or pissed off at my long wait to checkout for my 10 items but content and amazed at how one gesture of taking 2 minutes out of my busy errand to help a man find condensed cream of mushroom soup paid it forward by two other strangers helping ME out. If that's not positive karma making it's way around, I don't know what is. Seriously.

And to top it off, today is absolutely beautiful. The sun is out, the wind is calm and the air is dry. A wonderful day. I put together a little ensemble of what I looked like today. Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend, enjoy the Superbowl :)

Self Reflection

Fun Self Reflection

I Cannot Live Without my family, my love, friends, the internet, and laughter


My Favorite Place On Earth is Florence, Italy


I Am Inspired By other people's creations, their excitment, and everyday happenings like being in a restaurant, a beautiful day...


I Describe My Style As casual and elegant. I love to be comfortable but love to incorporate elegant pieces.


My Favorite Accessory are my three pieces I dont leave home without. My engagement ring, my watch and my diamond earrings.


To Relax I read, flip through magazines, read blogs


I Am Most Proud Of my education, my career and my independence.


I Want to go to travel the world.


I Love to Shop At target, jcpenny, sephora


I Don't Leave the House Without my purse


I Love to Wear jeans and a comfy yet adorable top


I Love to Read magazines, recomendations from friends, and books that are silly fun and make me laugh out loud.


My Guilty Pleasure is a venti ice chai latte, a stack of magainzes to flip through and people watching


I Envy people who are effortlessly thin or are natural runners. I am not at all.


I Have Never killed a man just to watch him die.


My Crush Channing Tatum - and yes, it's because I just saw Dear John. Don't judge me.


Random Favorites season=fall, day=saturday mornings/afternoons, thing to do in my spare time= watch movies, actor= Jason Bateman


Signature Colors purples, blacks, teals


The Thing I Like Most About Myself Is my work ethic and my ability to talk to anyone about anything.

At the end of the day I am happy to be alive, to be blessed with the life I have, and to have the people in my life and the things in them too.

Perfect Saturday Outfit

How perfect it would be to run around on your saturday in this casual but adorable outfit? Perfect for running up to the bookstore, grabbing a coffee, watching a movie or staying in while watching re-runs of friends and sipping wine. Both sound amazing.

Suuuitss

Indefinite

So. I think I am taking an indefinite break from the blogging world. I will be back here and there....but till then.

Thanks for reading :)

Grace in Small Things: 14 of 365

found here

1. Season 5 of Weeds
2. Space Heaters
3. Post-it notes
4. Calendars
5. Tulips

Behold

I have been searching for the right shoe for our wedding in 124 days, not just for my bridesmaid and maid of honor but for myself. I came across this shoe and it was perfect, small heal for comfort, not to strappy for convenience, and adorable. So not only are all my bridesmaids getting this shoe in their right color, I decided to get this shoe myself in Blue as my "something blue" it's so cute, and comfy. The girls, including myself shouldn't be in any discomfort which is simply wonderful.

One more thing to cross off the list.

Grace in Small Things: 13 of 365

Found here

1. Tall glasses of ice cold OJ
2. Speacial K - chocolate delight
3. Moments of true happiness
4. Vindication
5. Magazines

Help Haiti

With the devastation that hit Haiti, we all need to come together to help those in need. I think sometimes people forget that there is much more going on around us and our silly problems and troubles. These people who are our equals are going through hell. Their world upside down, literally. Everyday I can't believe how fortunate I am to have what I do, to live the way I live everyday... I am fortunate, I am grateful, I appreciate everyday. If you are interested in helping Haiti you can do any of the following.

Mercy Corps

Red Cross

OR just text "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given to the Red Cross and charged to your cell phone bill.

Hi, Monday

photo/ here
Happy Monday. How are you all? Well another week has gone by and another began. I got a lot done this weekend.

1. Got chair covers situated
2. Picked up 3 of 7 dresses for the girls
3. Picked out the guy's suits. (they are going to look SO sharp)
4. Ordered the favors
5. Ordered the almond candies to go with the favors.

We made our 2nd attempt to get the cake figured out, and it was a bust (again) grr. This weekend Mike and I also managed to look at 5 houses, 2 of which we love.

In other news I am still very sick, my cold has now managed to move from my sinuses to my chest (eeek) so I am trying to very best to knock it out with some vitamin C and some Mucinex, with all the pressure (and stress) I also have a throbbing headache. After I drop off some paperwork tonight to our realator I plan on going to bed early. Have a great week :)

I got the fever...and the only cure is more cowbell

Well not really, but I am sick. Hence the lack of posts. I seem to have gotten what my mom and Mike had, a bad cold. So I have been sniffling and snotting all over - delightful I know. So although I have been going to work, when I come home that's all she wrote. But I wanted to sign in and say hello, hope you all had a good week back from work, I think the general consensus at work was even though it was the first week back it seemed like a month... ugh glad the week is over.

In other news, I have no sense of taste (or smell) at the moment so I am enjoying the fact that I have no will to eat, because its like hey whats the point?! Kind of sad though. Tonight Mike and I hung out and watched The Hangover while we both fought to stay awake (I won heh!) Tomorrow my mom, Mandy and I are going to be running around like a bunch of MAD women - we are going to try to accomplish some major TO DO's for the wedding.

- Chair Covers
- Cake
- Shoes
- Transportation
- Favors
- Finalizing Shower list

Any anything we feel motivated to accomplish. We are also meeting up with Kristin later to pick up their dresses where I also hope to get what I want the guys suits to look like in order so they can all go in end of this month to get fitted themselves.

On Sunday Mike and I are going to be looking at another handful of houses... I lost count at 30...Yes we are picky but it gives me hope we will soon find our home (crossing fingers!) So I am going to head to bed to get some much needed sleep. Goodnight and have a great weekend!

Tuesday Sexiness

It's a Tuesday, which is good enough reason for me to share this delicious picture. Enjoy :)

Back to the grind

found here

I can't believe the holidays have once again come and gone. It's bitter sweet for me, because this is my last holidays at home. Waking up on Christmas day, lounging around, Holiday meals... I wont be there that morning or during the day - I will be coming over from my own place. It's all very weird. It makes me excited and very sad at the same time.

And so begins another year 2010. Wow. I just can't believe how much time as flown by! I am really looking forward to this year, it is the year of big changes. I will be moving out, I will be getting married, I will be goingto Hawaii... it's amazing.

This is also hopefully the year where I get organized from the inside out. I hope to accomplish some big goals on my list. (more of that to come later) Tomorrow starts a new week, a new year and hopefully some motivation to get shit done. With that being said im going to get organized (at least for the week)

Have a great 2010!!!!!!!!

Some Noteworthy Events in Pictures for 2009

Another year.....

Ahh the last post of 2009. It has been a good year, nay a great year - so many changes good and bad and exciting adventures awaiting... I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. Enjoy it :)

Don't worry

Have no fear, friends. The new year is almost here. Enjoy your Wednesday!! Countdown to freeedooommm 1 1/2 days booyah. xo

found here

Passing on some good thoughts....

Please read the below post and say a little prayer, send some good vibrations and hope for the best for a fellow blogger

-MM

My name is brandy. And I have a blog.

And a plea.

I use my blog to showcase the crazy I meet everyday, share the stories of the kids I teach and document my love for tequila, dairy products and the abdominal muscles of Ryan Reynolds. Rarely do I talk about personal issues on my blog- as personal as the dude that I adore (who I actually met through my blog- single ladies, let that be a very good reason to blog, the possibility of meeting someone as wonderful as my man), but I need your help. And it involves my dude.

He’s a guy who made math comics for my class, so they would love learning about addition. He’s the kinda guy who sends my friends gift cards when they are having hard times, who remembers every story I ever told him, who was the first person I celebrated with when I got a teaching job. He’s the guy who sent flowers to me at school- dozens of my favourite pink roses just because he loves me. He’s a guy who has spent a year patiently explaining (and re-explaining) everything there is to know about football during the important games when silence is preferred. He’s made me word puzzles and comics and stayed up late playing Scrabble with me (even though I beat him almost every time). He’s listened to me cry about school and family and jobs. He is everything I never knew I needed and everything I always knew I wanted.

The holidays have hit us hard. He’s recently been told he may have something called multiple myeloma- an incurable cancer, that gives a person an average of five years of continued life. Though this news has came as a shock, he continues to be exactly who has always been- spending his time worrying about me, rather than worrying about himself. He’s the most selfless individual I know- (he stayed late on Christmas Eve to work, so his co-workers could leave early) and a post like this would never be something that he would promote or encourage but when I’m overwhelmed and feeling helpless, the blogging community has always given me tremendous support and comfort, two things I desperately need at this time.

As I write this, the future is uncertain and we aren’t sure what’s happening. He’ll need to see an oncologist soon, to verify what’s going on in his body. My hope is that everyone who reads this think positive thoughts and if you are a person who prays, could you add him to your list? (You can refer to him as ‘brandy’s hot awesome dude’). If you don’t pray, please keep him in your heart.This cancer is only a possibility and I believe that the prayers and positive thoughts of people can make sure it never becomes a reality.

I want to give a big thank you to the blog owner who scraped their original blog plans and graciously put this up. My goal is to get as many people as possible to see and read this post. If you are reading this and want to help, copy and paste my plea into your blog or send a link through twitter, so more people can keep him in their thoughts. I would be so very grateful (even more grateful than I am to my friend who first showed me the picture of Ryan Reynolds on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. If you haven’t seen it, google it. You. Are. Welcome).

I realize this all sounds dramatic, a Lifetime movie in the making- but this is life. Right now. And I’m throwing away any hint of ego and am humbly asking for you to pray or think kind thoughts. If you are able to pass this on, thank you and if you know anything regarding MM- please email me (my email is on my blog). This isn’t a call for sympathy or a plea for pity. It’s just one girl hoping you can think positive thoughts for the person she adores. If my current heartache provides you with anything, let it be with the reminder that life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next. Maybe it is silly, but I really do believe that positive thoughts can make a huge difference. Thank you for reading this and if you haven’t already? Please tell someone you love them today.

I did.

A post on Quotes

Feeling inspired, here are some quotes I came across - ENJOY

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

"Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future."

Robert L. Peters

"In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on."

Robert Frost

"Did you say it? I love you, I don’t ever want to live without you, you changed my life. Did you say it? Make a plan, set a goal, work toward it. But every now and then, look around. Drink it in. Cause this is it. It might all be gone tomorrow."

Meredith Grey - Grey’s Anatomy

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity"

Albert Einstein

"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta figure out who’s worth suffering for."

Bob Marley

"Learn to say “NO” Because you can’t please everyone."

Sara Wayland

A couple things...

Found here

<3

I had the most wonderful Christmas! And got everything I ever hoped to get and MORE!

-New hair dryer
-$80 in Starbucks GC
- Target GC
- A BEAUTIFUL AMAZING pair of earrings Mike gave me, he got them for me so I could wear them on our wedding day. (Such a romantic)
- An AWESOME fossil watch from my parents, seriously been lusting after this for awhile.
- A handful of Philosphy products including lip gloss, shower gel, shampoo and moisturizer
- A new scarf
- Sun glasses
- Another pair of earrings
- Ornaments for mike and mine's tree next year
- A pair of champagne glasses engraved for mike and i for our wedding day
- A sweet big sis shirt from Tom
- An awesome Got Cannoli shirt
etc etc

I am so fortunate and grateful for the wonderful people and things I have in my life. It's hard to believe this year is coming to an end... I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas/Holiday Season...

Hear's to a good rest of the year

Merry Christmas

Found here

Merry Christmas!!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas/Holiday/Hanukkah enjoy the time you have with your family and spend it laughing, being grateful, and appreciating this beautiful life.

xoxox

David Blaine's Street Magic 2

Haha thought this was hilarious. Enjoy :)

Good Morning

Found here

I am on my final day before my lovely 4 day break, and what's even better is it's a half day!! After I am done working, I have a lot to do. I have to pick up a GC for a relative for xmas, clean my room like it's my job because seriously, it has been a freaking mess. I have clothes everywhere, my desk is covered in mail, netflix, mugs, etc etc, I still have some small gifts I have to wrap and I have organize all my bills. I also have to catch up on all my laundry, and get everyone's gifts for the next couple days set and ready to go so I am not running around. Needless to say it's going to be a busy day. What I am really looking forward to, is after everything is organized and ccaught up is to sit down with a glass of wine and catch up on my netflix movies that came in. And tomorrow..... CHRISTMAS EVE - sleeping in, family coming over, food, games and PRESENTS!!!!!!! I am going to try to prepare a couple posts for the next couple days so stay tuned!!

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Buone Feste Natalizie, Kala Christouyenna, Boze Narodzenie, Shinnen omedeto, Sawadee Pee Mai, Mele Kalikimaka

Tis the Season

With Christmas Eve just 2 days away, it's hard to believe this year is coming to an end. I have accomplished a lot of what I wanted and didn't even tred lightley with others... and that's ok. I have gotten all my shopping done except for one person and all my wrapping is done too. Christmas Eve my moms side of the family is coming over, we will spend the majority of the day sitting around playing sing star (thanks babe) eating, chatting and waiting patiently to open presents. On Friday (Christmas Day) My dads side of the family is coming over and we will have a brunch set up where we will do the same sans sing star. After I enjoy some time with my dads side, I will head over to Mike's where I will have Christmas dinner and open presents and spend time with them. It's going to be a jammed packed couple days, but its going to be great because it will be with family and friends. Couldn't be happier.

All I have to do is get through today and tomorrow at work and I am home free for 4 whole days. Hurrah!