Goodbye 2012

 I found this year wrap-up quiz on my fellow bloggers page and figured it would be fun to review my 2012 year.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Moved out of state! :)

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year I hoped to become more organized which I think I did but I still could be better.
This year my resolution is to stress less and work out at least three times a week.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
YES! ... and Joe and I are God Parents! I cannot explain to you how honored and blessed we are to have little Emma in our lives.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness.
5. What countries did you visit?
None.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you didn't have in 2012?
Our second honeymoon!
7. What dates from 2012 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
May 22nd when Joe and I packed up and moved to New York.
8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
Moving, and building our life from scratch.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being able to secure a union position at my company, but I have confidence that if I continue to work hard I will be rewarded in the end.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Stress attacked my neck before the move and my back a coupe months after... nothing big.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our new car, it feels amazing to purchase a car and not have a car payment.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All my family and friends who supported us no matter what!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
ANYONE who speaks harsh politics on Facebook!
14. Where did most of your money go?
Moving Joe and I from CA to NY.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going home for the Holidays meant the world to me.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
"Call Me Maybe":))
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: A) happier or sadder? B) thinner or fatter? C) richer or poorer?
A) HAPPIER
B) Thinner... I think
C) Poorer... thanks to the relocation
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Decorating our apartment.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being stressed.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
In CA with all our friends and family.
21. Did you fall in love with 2012?
Nope... still in love.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Sons of Anarchy has become one of my new favorites.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, it was a tough year but I have reconnected with more people than I thought I would. :)
24. What was the best book you read?
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin... Chick Lit but I loved how the story had you trying to pick sides but you couldn't.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Rediscovered Diamond Rio.
26. What did you want and get?
I wanted a new job and I got one that I LOVE.
27. What did you want and not get?
I wanted to purchase a home... but that is in the future.
28. What was your favorite film of 2012?
Real Steel... I know it's dorky but Joe made me watch this movie against my will and I loved it.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 and we went to a street festival in downtown Campbell right before we moved.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A home of our own.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2012?
My style is usually very classy casual but I have been trying to purchase some funky fun pieces and take more chances.
32. What kept you sane?
Reading, scrapbooking, and most importantly Joe.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Gun control following the Sandy Hook tragedy... but no I will not be explaining my position.
34. Who did you miss?
My cousins that I didn't get to see while on vacation.
35. Who was the best new person you met?
My co-worker Jimena... She has been my rock at work and just a great friend all around.
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Life is too short!
37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Don't stop believing" Not only the last song at our Wedding but a song that truly shows you can achieve anything you put your mind to!

Hitting the Road (or Air)

This weekend Joe and I will be making the trip back home to visit our family and friends for the Holidays. I cannot explain how excited we are to take some time to ourselves and enjoy our favorite people. In anticipation I have been working insane hours at work trying to get organized enough to be able to leave for a week. After the last two weeks I am so excited to be able to take some time off.

My rules for any vacation I take is to remove myself from any social media and things like that. So in preparation for our trip I would like to say goodbye for the next couple of weeks. Be sure to check back sometime after Christmas or New Years because I am sure the posts are going to be lengthy and exciting.

Happy Holidays My Bloggers!

X-Mas List

We all have a Christmas List for each year. I really don't want or need much this year, I am just thankful to be able to fly home and see the family. (Keep your fingers crossed the weather allows us) 

Need:

We defiantly could use and need a double burner stove top grill. Lacking a BBQ this will help us still enjoy  steaks or burgers.

Want/Need:

At my old job back in California I was able to wear sneakers to work. In result I have ruined my gym shoes.

Want:

Now, it wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't have new Uggs on the Christmas list. These were screaming my name from the moment I saw them but I won't even tell you how much they cost. I most likely will never own these but a girl can wish. :)

What are your Needs, Wants/Needs, and Wants for this Holiday Season?

Winner Winner!

I became addicted to goodreads.com a couple months ago. Although with my current schedule I seriously have no time to read I still wonder onto the website every now and then a find books I want to read when work slows down. There is a part of the website I truly love, its called the "giveaway" section.

This section of the website is fun for me because of two reasons... 

1. Who doesn't love free books? 

2. I get to browse through giveaways to enter and find books I would not normally stumble across.

Well, we have a winner!

I won the following books from the giveaways I entered:

I am excited to see if I enjoy my freebees.

Crazy Married Life

Our life for the past month or so has been out of this world busy. I have been working between 50-72 hour work weeks sense the storm hit. I can't really complain because of the amount I love my job but I have really been wearing down. Not only am I working overtime nearly everyday, Joe and I joined a gym by my work so we are not usually getting home before 8pm every night. This is where our challenge comes in, cooking dinner. Not only are we exhausted but we don't have time to really cook a good meal. One night I basically feel asleep in the car on the drive home from the gym. Joe told me to take a shower and he would make dinner. This is what was waiting for me after my shower:

Yum!

I am so thankful to have such an amazing husband!

Snow!

About a week after Hurricane Sandy we got our first snowstorm of the season. It wasn't much but it was enough to cover everything and make my commute a nightmare. 

This was just the beginning...

 I know this is a horrible picture (thanks iphone) but you can see our backyard covered with snow. Unfortunately the snow storm was not much enjoyed because of the timing and the fact that we were still cleaning up from Hurricane Sandy. 

I am looking forward to other snow storms in our future just not crazy amounts. ;)

My New Best Friend

As some of you may know I received an early Christmas gift from Joe

I was so excited you have no idea. I just had to use it that day. Some of the things I have made so far are:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (Requested by my coworker)

On Thanksgiving Joe and I have an amazing dinner out but I wanted to do something special so I made my first cheesecake from scratch. I know it's not that pretty but it tasted amazing.

On a side note I think my New Years resolution is to stop being lazy and use my regular camera. I hate the way my iphone pictures look.

OPI Colors of the Month: November

"DS Reflection"

"Stranger Tides"

MIA

As you can see I have been missing in action for some time. I have been working long hours at work which include the weekends so any down time I come across are spent sleeping or at the gym. I am sure I will be back to my normal schedule soon which will include regular posts. Please stick with me :))

OPI Colors of the Month: October

"Quarter of a Cent-Cherry"

"Cajun Shrimp"

"French Quarter for Your Thoughts"

Sandy Aftermath

Things have settled here in Westchester County but the storms effects are far from over.

Monday Sandy hit land at approx 6pm in lower New Jersey and I can tell you we felt it immediately. I made the bad decision to try to get home right before the storm hit land. Needless to say I did not make it and managed to drive through a huge tree that was blocking three lanes on the freeway… the best part is that there was not a scratch on my truck but I was seriously shaken. On the drive home there was at least 5 or 6 trees blocking all lanes of the freeway and it was complete darkness. Once I was about one mile from home I learned that the road to our town was closed due to down lines and trees. I had to turn around and drive the thirty minutes back to work while being pushed around on the freeway by gusts of 70+ mph winds. I made it to work just before they shut down the majority of the roads.

Once I was able to return home yesterday things were pretty normal in our town except for the lack of power. I have been working 12 hours shifts and will continue to do so until all our 200,000 customers in Westchester County currently without power are restored.

All in all it was scary but it could have been much worse. We have begun the process of cleaning up but this is far from over. Wish us luck we have a long clean up ahead of us.

Hurricane Sandy: Lunchtime Update

Still experiencing the calm before the storm here. Got to work in one piece with really no storm effects. Although I can tell you how different it feels to lay in bed at night and listen to wind chimes outside our window knowing there is a hurricane on the way. I felt like I was in the movie twister. (minus the twister) Driving to work was another experience with no one else on the road it felt creepy. On that note back to work, I’ll write again when I actually start to see some action.

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy!

As some of you may know New York is well underway in welcoming me. Beginning tonight at midnight hurricane Sandy will be blowing into our state to make my work life hectic and my choice to live in New York less attractive. Our hours at work have been changed and extended to last the duration of the storm. I will be updating as much as I can from work so sit tight and don't worry about us to much. Here goes nothing!!!

Review Edition: 1984 by: George Orwell

Although I did like the story line I struggled with this book. I hate to give classics bad reviews but I like to think that its just not my style of book. The writing was really descriptive and sometimes I feel like it wasn't necessary. I also have read that this is a more enjoyable read when reading it in a group because it really is a book that would produce very good group discussions. (Ex: High School when I should have read it but I never did the reading) All in all I am glad I read it but I don't think I will be again.

☻☻☻☺☺

3 out of 5 smiles – I Liked It

Fall Family Visit

Last week I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Mom, Grandma, and Brother. The night they arrived Joe and I had a little surprise for everyone and the only one who was in on it was my mother. We had plans to go out to dinner and the surprise was that my Aunt Roxy and Uncle Tom who happened to be visiting the city (to celebrate their 2nd Wedding Anniversary!) took the train up to join us.

It was amazing to have so much of my family visit at the same time. I can remember a little over five months ago saying goodbye these amazing people and I was so touched they were able to visit so soon!

Auntie and Uncle promised to come back possibly with the kids and stay in our town. Joe and I are extremely excited for this to happen!

A couple of days later we took Grandma to Ellis Island, she had not been there in many many years. I do love living in New York but doing the tourist thing is just not my style. After an hour an a half waiting in lines we were on the ferry and on our way.

Ellis Island (Couldn't get a better picture)

Enjoying the view

Finding family

As we were leaving the island I was able to get a few touristy shots.

This is by far my favorite picture even though I photoshopped it a little it's still stunning.

Later that week Joe, Grandma, Mom, and I took a drive to Stamford CT to visit my moms cousins. I had never met this part of my family so it was a good long lunch catching up.

All in all is was an interesting but fun trip. I can't wait for mom to come back to take on the city with her in February. :)

Review Edition: Baby Proof by: Emily Giffin

I did enjoy this book but in the beginning things seemed to fall apart too quickly. Through out the book I was hoping for the best but I wish things had work themselves out a little differently. One thing I love about Emily Giffin is that in each of her books the story takes off from the first page and sucks you in. I really wish this book was a little longer just because I think the ending should have been a little more explained. I hate when movies or books end the way you want them to then it cuts off right after that. 

☻☻☻☻☺

4 out of 5 smiles – An enjoyable read

Missing In Action

I apologize for being so absent lately but with a mixture of having a cold, a CrAzY week, and internet problems it's been hard to keep up. I'll be back soon with some very fun updates.

Stay tuned...

OPI Colors of the Month: September

"Need Sunglasses?"

"Happy Anniversary"

"Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede"

GoodReads.com

Thank to my friend Sensibly Sassy I am addicted to goodreads.com!

I might be behind the times but goodreads.com is new to me. It is a website where you can rate books you've read, keep track of books you want to read, and let your friends know what you are currently reading. By far the best part of the website is that it recommends books that they think you might want to read based on the books you have read in the past. I also love the fact that you can find your friends and family and compare books or see what they liked or disliked about a book you are thinking of reading. I really enjoy getting book ideas from friends. (In result I have stolen probably 75% of my firends "read" books) All in all it is 100% addicting and I don't think I'll be getting anything done anytime soon... I'll be reading ;)

Sign Up!

Review Edition: The Acciental Bestseller by: Wendy Wax

This book started out a tad slow and at first I didn't think I was going to like it. After a little while I was hooked. It gives insider knowledge about the publishing world and it's pros and cons. If you are a book lover as I am, you will enjoy learning about how a book is thought up, put on paper, published, and marketed. There is a huge twist towards the end of the book that really peeked my interest. I would totally recommend this book.

☻☻☻☻☺

4 out of 5 smiles – An enjoyable read

Our 1st Wedding Anniversary

Last Sunday Joe and I went to the city just the two of us to celebrate our one year anniversary. It's been a long year that has felt like a month which included some big changes. It was nice to take a evening to ourselves to reflect on this past year.

 

We had dinner at Fishtail by David Burke which we scored a living social deal for. We were able to enjoy a sushi plate to share, two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts for a very reasonable price. Most of the dinner looked too good that we couldn't wait to dig in but here are a few pictures of our amazing meal.

Joe chose to have a Manhattan. (Fitting)

I chose to have a drink called "Habitual Happiness." (Very Fitting)

The hibiscus flower in the drink was a nice touch.

For my appetizer I had the calamari salad which was so good!

This was the chocolate mouse dessert that Joe and I both picked! It was so yummy!

We didn't get many pictures during dinner but we were too busy enjoying the food and our company. I did manage to get a shot of the part of the restaurant we sat in.

It was such a perfect evening we were able to enjoy dinner with the doors to the terrace open.

I know I have said this before but I am going to say it again, Joe and I have the best family and friends we could ever hope for. Here are some of the cards and gifts we received.

The first card we received was from my mother and it was the cutest card I've seen. This is what it said:

"Marriage is easy, Marriage is hard,

Marriage takes time (and a big credit card!)

Marriage is challenging, Marriage is fun,

Marriage is cuddling when each day is done...

Marriage takes patience and practice and trust,

Marriage takes two who know laughter's a must.

Marriage is magic, Marriage is dreams

And "let's-get-away-for-the-weekend" type schemes.

Marriage is simple, Marriage is tough,

Marriage takes guts when the going gets rough...

For Marriage demands all the best you can give,

And gives you life's best every day that you live."

I received this at work from our great friends Mallory and Brian! What a huge surprise that we enjoyed very much.

On an OPI side note I was able to paint my nails with a very appropriate color:

You'll have to wait and see what it looked like on till the end of the month. ;)

One Year Ago Exactly

On this day one year ago I made a promise to a man in front of all my friends and family. Little did I know what life had planned for us. I sit here today revisiting those memories and feelings and I can't help but think how lucky I am. So many things have changed and so many emotions were felt this past year but I wouldn't change one single thing. Everyone's life changes when they enter into a marriage but we have taken change to an extreme. From the moment we said "I Do" things changed forever. We became much closer, truly feeling the lifetime bond we had made. I knew deep in my heart that this was the man for me. 

Fast forward to one year later. (Exactly!) I am now blogging about our first year of marriage while sitting in our new apartment in New York. We have a whole new life in every way. We've moved, rented a new apartment, gotten two new jobs, two new schools, and most importantly a new life plan. I can't say I expected this much change but I can say that this is the happiest I have ever been. I am excited to enter into our second year of marriage but learning from experience I defiantly cannot predict where we will be one year from now!!

During this past year there are two quotes/phrases that I have heard over and over:

"Happy Wife, Happy Life"

I was first told this on my Wedding day. Sense then I have heard this so many times I cannot count. In the beginning I didn't like this quote very much just because it sounded like I was in control of my Husbands happiness. (If I didn't get those new Gucci shoes he was not going to be a happy man!) <-- This is how this quote rang in my head. Over the last year I have really thought about it a lot and have found a new meaning in it. Women in general are very emotional and caring beings. In a marriage it takes two to make things work and this is also true for the quote above. When a wife is happy it is contagious so that makes the husband happier and in a brighter mood. On the other hand the only way a wife is happy is if the husband is happy as well. Women in general tend to express more feeling, while men happy or not may not show it as much. This is way after a year of marriage I can say that overall, I think the quote is true.

"The First Year of Marriage is the Hardiest"

If this is true then Joe and I are cruising down Easy Street. ;) I really think this quote does not pertain to Joe and I. We got all the hard stuff out of the way before our first year of marriage. We moved in together shortly after getting engaged and spent some time adjusting to living with each other. In reality no marriage or person is perfect and I know we have both ups and downs that lie ahead of us. But we have made a promise to each other that whatever happens we will deal with it together.

Thank you to everyone who supported us through the move. We could not have done it alone. Some of my fondest memories are the memories I made with my closest friends and family packing up our things while laughing (and crying) through the whole process. We miss everyone so much but I know in my heart that this is where we are supposed to be. We love you all and thank you for being a part of our fun, crazy, emotional, but most of all one of a kind journey.

Not Everything In Life Can Be Perfect

I have mentioned many times how much I love our apartment. It has a lot of space in all the right places and awesome little touches that make it more of a home than an apartment. 

We have had some issues with the upstairs neighbor but lately it has become so much worse. About a month ago Joe and I decided to make a call to our landlord to let him know we had a problem. The upstairs apartment has mostly hardwood floors and the tenant insists on walking around her apartment in heels before she leaves and after she gets home. She plays music which we mostly cannot hear except for the bass which travels directly through the floor. For the first three months Joe and I just put up with it. (But I will say we never got used to it) Last month about 10:30pm the tenant decided she was going to work out with hand weights which she dropped repeatedly. This is when we decided to make the first call to the landlord. We figured we would put up with the noise unless it interrupted our sleep. After the call was made to the landlord he generously purchased area rugs for the upstairs tenants and for the next couple of days it was quiet. 

Fast forward to this week, 3:30am Joe and I were woken up to the sound of high heels on hardwood floors. Luckily, it only lasted a couple minutes and we drifted back to sleep. 4:45am we are woken again to what sounds like someone running in place directly above our bed. The next day I made the second call to the landlord and he suggested we meet with the tenant in my apartment so she could hear what we hear.

The time came (I was not excited for this meeting) Joe was still at work when we all met in my apartment. It was my landlord, tenant, tenants young daughter(not sure why she would bring her young daughter to this meeting but okay), and me. Our landlord went upstairs to walk around to show her how much the sound travels and the entire time she was talking my ear off defending herself. When our landlord returned the show began. She explained that she never wears heels upstairs because she leaves them by the door, (false) she also has no idea what we are hearing in the morning because she is at the gym at 5:30 every morning, (false - did she forget that she parks right outside our window and see her car here every morning) she continues, there is no way we could be hearing bass from her music because she only listens to gospel, (uhhh false) and the finale was when she turned to me and said she was frustrated that when she accidentally dropped her hand weight I called the landlord right away to complain. I was shocked and just laid on the kill them with kindness act and explained that we were not worried about the noises until it started to wake us up on work nights. 

The meeting ended and it has been a couple days sense. I am happy to report that things here have been relatively quiet. Currently the noise does not bother me as much as knowing I have a crazy person living above me. What would you do in this situation? We will see how it goes and I will keep you posted... cross your fingers!!

My Wish List

Lately, I have been addicted to reading so today I decided to edit my Barns and Noble wish list. (Hint hint mom) ;)

Check out my wish list and let me know if you think it's missing anything... I love getting book recommendations from people!

You can see my wish list Here

Review Edition: Heart of the Matter by: Emily Giffin

Wow... I can't really say much about this book besides READ IT! Ten pages into this book I jumped onto eBay to order another book of hers. Unfortunately, that book didn't come soon enough because I finished this book in a couple days! So now I am reading something else (We will get to that later) but her other book keeps calling my name from the book shelf.

☻☻☻☻☻

5 out of 5 smiles - A must read

Two Meals for the Price of One

If you know me well you know that I like a bargain. When I found a cooking show that focused on good food for cheap prices I was hooked. Last week I choose to make one of the recipes from the show.

Pepperoni and cheese casserole with garlic bread and green salad. 

The pepperoni and cheese casserole included pepperoni, cheese, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, noodles, and spices.

For the garlic bread I made the garlic spread with things I already had in the kitchen, chopped garlic, butter, parsley, and dried basil.

I cheated with the salad which is just a bagged salad with an added tomato.

While cooking the above meal I saved half the loaf of uncooked garlic bread and reserved one cup of the sauce that went in the noodles.

The next evening we took the tomato, pepperoni sauce and put it on top of the left over garlic bread and covered with cheese, then baked for 10 minutes.

Two very different meals for the price of one.

Yum!

Pepperoni and Cheese Casserole recipe Here