Premarital Counseling?!?!

Yes Folks! You heard it! Pre-Marital Counseling!

Can you BELIEVE IT?!?!

So, me being the planner that I am, decided to email the Pastor and the church that I grew up going to. You know, just to make sure the date was open for OUR WEDDING. I was not particular on whether or not I HAD to get married in a church, but in talking to Mister R about it, we decided to do it that way. I sent an email via the church website to Pastor Mark and waited excitedly to hear back...all day long!

When I finally received the reply to my email, I hurriedly read through it. A portion of said email read as follows:

"I’ll want to meet with you and your fiancé at least twice –

to plan the ceremony and to do some pre-marriage counseling."

Ughgh! Immediately the thought in my head was, Premarital Counseling...Premarital Counseling? Why? What? Huh? Why?! What are they going to ask us? Are we going to get into trouble for not going to Church EVERY Sunday? Is he going to ask if we live together before marriage? Is he going to want to know about our 'personal relations'?

Because let me tell you...I don't really want to go into personal stuff like that with the Pastor! And I believe in God, but I don't believe that you HAVE to go to church EVERY Sunday just to show that you believe!

What are YOUR thoughts on PREMARITAL COUNSELING?

Did you have to do it?

What did they talk about/ask you and your significant other?

How to look good...NAKED!!!

So, while we're (I'm I suppose) on the topic of TV Shows...and reality for that matter. Have you seen How To Look Good Naked? If not, you should check it out HERE. I have seen 2 episodes so far and I think I like it. I LOVE the fact that they are all about getting women to love the way the look currently. I mean, we all have body issues...i think we all do(?)! And there is always that notion that you HAVE TO have the perfect body. But I believe you need to love the skin you're in, in the first place, in order to really LOVE who you are.


My FAV part of the show is Carson Kressley though! He is such a hoot! I LOVE how he just makes the girls so comfortable and how gay he is, really! He cracks me up. One of the first episodes I saw, he was working with this gal who weighed probably like 250 pounds (or something like that, not too sure), but he picked her up and twirled her around. It was so funny, I mean he made her feel good. And then he makes them try on bras and undies and walk around in them. You know, just make them feel comfy! Alright, I think I'm just blabbering now.

JUST CHECK IT OUT!!!

Rock of Love

So, me and my Mister started watching Rock of Love when it first started sometime last year. I just randomly recorded it, thinking oh Mister R will probably like this. I myself, know some Poison songs, but seeing I was born in the early 80s, I wasn't a hard core rocker! Duh! Well, we both ended up getting addicted to it and well, season number 2 started on Sunday. Here we go again!


I can't help but get addicted to it...especially since the Writers Strike is going on...I look forward and get excited to watch the darn show! It is just hysterical too! Brett is just a sex crazed maniac (i mean did you see the season finale last season, he didn't want to make a decision and SERIOUSLY asked the two girls if they would both be his girlfriends!!! One said sure and the other wasn't having any of it!)...I'm sure he's not looking for long lasting love on a reality tv show...come on, we all know that doesn't last! And these girls all just want to be on tv...but it is hysterical...you should check it out!!! The fighting that goes on is the best part!!!

What about your TV Addictions...

(seeing as this Writer's Strike isn't ending

any time soon!). Maybe I'm missing some

good REALITY TV that I don't know about!

OH AND ON BBC AMERICA...THERE ARE RERUNS OF

RAMSAY'S NIGHTMARES

THEY ARE AWESOME! BUT THE BRITISH VERSION

HAS HIM TAKING HIS SHIRT OFF

ALL OF THE TIME!!! TOO FUNNY/WEIRD!

TGIF

Whew! Can I just say I'm so happy that it is Friday?! Don't ask me why, I was off on Monday and it's been a pretty easy week. So wtf?! I don't even know. Can I just say that I live for the weekend?! Not even to go out and P-A-R-T-Y! I love me some good stay at home and relax time and it seems that the weekends are the perfect times to do that. We had some 'spring-ish' weather here for a couple of days and it really throws you off. It was in the lower 60s in January...in Chicago-land for that matter?! I guess anything is possible.

Not too much new going on here. Me and my Mister haven't really set a date or talked much about what we are doing for OUR WEDDING yet. I am, however, buying magazines and books and such...just because I CAN!!! He he he! Ooohhh....but since I am all about this blogging thing and websites and such, you can bet that once some things are final...I will be creating a Wedding Website! More to come on that in the future though!

As you can tell, I'm just rambling here...I am having the hardest time finding topics to write about. I'll think of a good one and write it down for later, then when I come back to it to actually write about it...I think, well, that's not that good. For anyone who is reading this...if there is anyone out there who does...do you have any SUGGESTIONS?!?!

My soon-to-be Father-In-Law (FIL) came into town for two days. You can check out his cool blog HERE. He is sailing and just traveling the seas, currently located near Puerta Vallarta. How neat is that?!?!

Alright, I really should go now! Hope ya'll have a good weekend! Maybe if you're lucky...I'll try and write some more this weekend!

Blah Days & Spa Days

This is what you will see if you look out the window here...I personally, think it's time for the snow to go! I am one of those who likes snow on Christmas Day and that's about it! Why do I live here, you may ask...well, all (or most) of our family is here. How I wouldn't LOVE to be somewhere where the average temperature is 60s to 70s...but that is just not reality! I would miss everyone so much too! It is actually sunny today and supposed to warm up to 23 degrees (I think!). After all the holiday days off at work, it makes me not want to go back! But it is something we all (or most of us) must do...I just get in that blah mood though! OH WELL!

This Sunday, I will be using my gift certificate that I got from my future Mother-In-Law (MIL). I am going to the spa and getting a manicure, pedicure, facial AND massage. I am SO looking forward to that! It will AMAZING!

What do you do to lift your spirits in this cold, freezing weather???

We're Engaged!

And I say we because it really is us...not just me!!! Oh my gosh...can you believe it?! I got flowers sent to work on New Years Eve from MY Mister (I can say that now!). The note on the flowers said, looking forward to the next year together. So I was just thinking, oh my, I have the best boyfriend EVER!

Well, I get home from work and he continues to tell me that he has made reservations at 5...YES FIVE different restaurants and I got to pick which one we went to. I asked him why and he just said, it's New Years Eve and we're not doing anything, so I thought we'd go out to dinner. I just kept thinking, what did I do to deserve this man?!

Well, we left for dinner, but right before I put my BEAUTIFUL flowers on the coffee table next to the lamp. I turned the lamp on so it wouldn't be dark when we got home from din din.

We walk in the door from dinner and the light is off and I see little petals all over the floor in the faint sight that I can actually see. I was thinking the animals knocked over the flowers and the lamp and ruined everything. My Mister turned on the light and there is a song playing in the background (one of which I had uploaded to a photo slide show I had made for him last year), my flowers were moved to the center of the room, there were 2 champagne glasses and champage, chocolates and a box. Mister R got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I of course said YES YES YES! And could not stop smiling the entire night...come to think of it...I can't stop smiling even now!

What a wonderful way to end and start the 2007 into 2008.

I can't even think of the perfect words to describe it. I truly love that man.

Apple Flapjacks and Bangs

Dutch Apple Pancake...you have to try it, it's sooo good!

Ingredients (or you can get the recipe here)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 medium cooking apples, peeled, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
2 eggs

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Generously grease 9-inch glass pie plate with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Add apples; toss and set aside.
2. In 2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to boiling; reduce heat to low. Add Bisquick mix; stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat; beat in eggs, one at a time. Continue beating until smooth.
3. Spread batter in bottom of pie plate. Arrange apples on top to within 1 inch of edge of pie plate.
4. Bake about 23 minutes or until puffed and edges are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Finished Product (this is MY picture...it's real!)

I like to sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar on top of it and that's it. Oh it is so good...and I feel like I'm eating healthily (probably not!) since there are apples in it!

On a side note...I GOT BANGS!!!

I LOVE them!!!

LET IT SNOW...LET IT SNOW...LET IT SNOW (but not too much, thank you!)

Style 101

We had my family's 'Chrismas Eve Seafood Supper' a few days early. We went to my brother and SIL's house yesterday and had the most yummy-est food! My Nonni (grandma in italian) cooked Zuppa de pesce (I think that is spelled right...possibly not though). It is pasta with tomato sauce and any kind of seafood you can think of in there! Oh my mouth is watering while we speak. Anywho...back to the topic at hand. My bro and SIL got me this book. I glanced through the index after I opened it and then started looking through it when I got home. I have got to say I LOVE IT! You know when you are reading a magazine and find a little tid-bit that you want to clip out and save because it is the perfect little tip you've been awaiting, but you just know it will sit around, get lost and you will eventually end up losing it? Well, this book is ALL of those tips chalked into one...and it's gotta be hard to lose...I mean come on people...IT''S A BOOK! It has HOW TO beauty (find a signature scent, eat right for your skin), HOW TO fashion (make your shoes last, buy a winter coat), HOW TO home (arrange flowers, create a five-star bed), HOW TO entertaining (decipher a dress code, look better in photos). How AMAZING is all of that, and let me tell you...there is TONS more in there! It's like a reference book for style! Needless to say, I just love the book/gift and will be reading it and marking it for things that I will be doing in the future!

Dog-gonit!!!

I came across this blog, which had a post on the product displayed above, the Indoor Dog Bathroom. Now at first, I thought, ewww I don't want Mason relieving himself in our house! That would stink. As I read the description of it, my mind began to drift and think about, well, every single day where the Mister and I try to coax eachother into taking the dog out...even though we know it's our own turn. (Mind you this doesn't happen as often during the warmer months)

So as I'm reading the description it says something like, great for apartment dwellers (that's us!), or even times of harsh weather (oh my gosh that is totally us!).

Then I though, Mason has a hard enough time finding a spot to GO outside, litterally smelling every inch of the ground, how the heck would he go on a 30' by 20' rectangle of fake grass?! It even says that there is a scent that attracts the dogs to it but I'm not sure that would work. However, I did think, well we could put it on the patio...technically he WOULD still be going 'outside'...right?! Well with the price tag of $150...it's not something we'd purchase because we NEED it...so I guess I'll have to just dream about those mornings/nights when it's so cold out and I'm too lazy!

It was worth the day dreaming though!

On a different note...I awoke to the sound of really really loud wind multiple times last night. In my half awake-half asleep state of mind...I thought to myself...what if there is a tornado out there?! Then I woke up this morning and laughed at the mere thought that I even came up with that conclusion...I mean come on, it's WINTER out there!

HAVE A LOVELY DAY!!!

Here comes Santa Clause, here comes Santa Clause...

Well, we STARTED our Christmas shopping last night. Yes, you heard it folks, we just started. I know this may seem unusual to those of you who know me. I am a neat freak, ocd obsessed, organized kinda person and I JUST started Christmas shopping last night! Goods news is...we finished ALL but 2 gifts, which we will have to go out on Friday night to get (the mere thought of that makes my head spin because we all know that it will be horribly crazy out with all the last minute shoppers). I feel like there are more sales as you shop closer to Christmas rather than earlier. Oh it was horrible though...shopping for Christmas always stresses me out. I always want to get everyone the PERFECT gift and then I question myself as to if it is the PERFECT gift. Mister R and myself have decided that next year, we are going to try to do family gifts instead of each person gets something. And I thought that my family needs to start picking names...at least us younger ones...so we don't have to get every aunt and every uncle and every cousin a present (no offense, it just makes it harder). Well, that's all...just thought I'd write...I'm still having trouble thinking of subjects to post on.

P.S. This Just In...Britney Spears sister (Jamie~Lynn for those of you who aren't celeb gossip addicts quite like myself) is PREGGERS!!! And to think Lynn (the mom) is writing a parenting book!

Happy Birthday To Me...

I had the most FABULOUS 25th birthday weekend EVER!!!

Yay! Now I am out of the 18-24 demographic!

For those of you wondering (ha! probably no one) here is how it went...

1. Friday was my actual birthday, so we get it off AND paid at my work! I woke up at 5:00am! This was not by choice, I can normally fall back asleep after Mister R wakes up for work, but not that day! I must have been too excited for my own birthday! My mom came over around 9:00am and we went shopping at the local outlet mall. Thankfully we went early enough to beat the crowd! Around lunchtime, me and my mother met Mister R's mom for lunch! It was a great time and I am just so happy that everyone gets along and can spend time just hanging out together. Mister R's mom is great, I love her! I couldn't ask to feel any more welcome into the family! After a long day of shopping I went home and wrapped some stocking stuffers that I bought for Mister R and tried to shove them into his stocking! He came home from work and I got to open my PRESENT...finally!!! I thought all long that it would be jewelry...BUT I GOT AUTOMATIC START ON MY NEW CAR!!! I was so shocked and amazed that he pulled it off! I just LOVE it!!! We went to WILDFIRE for dinner and that was awesome too. We were going to go see a movie, but decided to skip it and go home!

2. Saturday, the BAND that Mister R is in had a show downtown at The Beat Kitchen (one of my favorite places that they play). Along with my birthday it was Sean (the drummer) and a few others birthday weekends as well. Let's just say we had a great celebration! I may have had a few too many to drink...but HEY it's MY birthday and I think that's okay! An honorable mention goes out to myself for flushing my license down the toilet...NO PEOPLE not purposely...it came out of my back pocket...and I was NOT about to stick my hand in there and get it! A BIG THANKS to this girl for trying to plunge it out, but to no avail...it didn't work. I hear that the toilet was out of order the rest of the night...SORRY!!!

3. Sunday was the day of rest! I had a great weekend and didn't want it to end...BUT ALAS all good things must come to an end...till next year!

P.S. THANKS TO ALL FOR THE CALLS/EMAILS/TEXTS..I JUST LOVE MY BIRTHDAY!

Meteor Showers TONIGHT!

"Studies of Geminid displays in recent years reveal showers rich both in slow, bright, majestic meteors and

fireballs as well as faint meteors, with relatively fewer objects of intermediate brightness."

Will YOU be watching? Cause I know I will! They are supposed to be

best seen right around 11pm until about 2am. For more information, click

HERE. Should be cool! I do get antsy and want to see more than what you

usually can...but it's always neat! Just thought I'd share...if anyone reads!!!

O christmas tree O christmas tree

We FINALLY got our butts out and bought our CHRISTMAS TREE!

After putting it off for the past 2 weekends, we went out Saturday morning

and picked up our tree from the local parking lot! And we think its PERFECT!

We decided to wait a day and let the branches fall before we decorated it.

We got the tree a bottle of ASPIRIN and are going to give it ONE per day!

That sounds too funny, BUT I read that if you give it one

per day, it will keep it fresh...or something like that!

Anywho...there she is...isn't she GRANDE?!

Hearts & Crafts

I know I haven't blogged, but I will be trying to, I promise...kind of! I am trying to find a good online scrapbooking. This one is pretty neat, but not as good as I've seen on some other blogs out there in the blog-o-sphere. If anyone has any ideas, please, let me know. I made a POSTCARD with me and my honey. I just want to find something that will give me a lot of options and help me out...ALL AT THE SAME TIME! 'Til later...ciao!

More than 20 Questions

Favorite kind of cereal: OHs
What animal or insect disgusts you the most? Spiders AND Snakes
What do you need more of right now? $money$
What is the hardest thing for you to do? NOT clean
Deodorant brand: degree
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 45 to 1 hour
What is your most prized object? My Jeep Liberty (first car I bought ON MY OWN)
What are you thankful you're not doing now? Working at my old job
What is your favorite drink? Coffee
Favorite way to eat potatoes? with cheese AND broccoli on it
Favorite ice cream toppings: chocolate syrup A LOT OF IT
Where do you want to spend the rest of your life? with the ones I love
What do you bring most to a friendship? EARS
What kind of music makes you want to get up and sing? old pop
What are you an expert in? Cleanliness & Neatness (OCD)
What have you tried and simply were not good at? video games
What is your "theme song"? Sugar & Spice & All Things Nice
What is your most annoying habit? having to PICK UP at home before RELAXING
What food would you feast on? Thanksgiving Dinner, that's the best!
How much can you bench press? HMMM...don't know

What fictional character would you like to meet? Michael Scott
What is the ultimate vacation? Some beach, somewhere
What is the best thing about your job? I can BLOG!
What is the worst thing about your job? on the phones CONSTANTLY!
What is the last movie that made your eyes tear up? In the Land of Women
What super-power would you like? Freeze TIME
What would you change about your appearance? Add 2 inches GROWTH SPURT!
If you named your home, what would you name it? The house that LOVE built

What advice would you give to the President? I have NO idea
What character attribute do you admire most? Selflessness AND Confidence
Where do you usually buy your clothes? Anywhere there's a sale
What song describes your present relationship? 'Your Song' by Elton John
How would you spend $1000? New wardrobe
What do you want to change about your life? Nothing, its great!
Who is your best friend? My bubby and a handful of girlfriends
What would you like to accomplish this year? Start eating more healthfully
What do you do everyday? Shower, work, dinner, sleep and LOVE
What food do you refuse to eat? NOT much!

What one word would you use to describe your current relationship? Happy
What is the best purchase you have made? OUR apartment
What one word describes your life? Bliss