Happy Thanksgiving (a little belated)

It's been a busy week around here! My sister has been visiting for the week to spend the holiday with us. It was also our month/quarter end at work and my days off turned out to be slightly tied to the laptop & crackberry. Oh well...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

Ten Things I am Thankful For:

1. I am thankful for a loving husband and the life we have created together. I wish everyone has an opportunity to experience a love & relationship like this (and it saddens me that so many people are willing to settle for less).
2. I am thankful for my family. My parents have taught me so much in life and they truly are my heroes. I love you Mom & Dad! And my sister is one of my best friends...as much as I give her crap about it, I really do wish she'd move closer.
3. I am thankful for my job. Although there are times when bitch and complain (who doesn't?), my job has been very good to me through the years. And there are plenty of reasons it is worth it!
4. I am thankful for my friends...without whom I'd never have made it to this point in life. Thank you for so many fun memories and adventures!
5. I am thankful for my dogs....who love us unconditionally...and bring such a simple joy to our lives. They truly are our children.
6. I am thankful for the roof over my head that we have worked so hard for. It may not be a big swanky mansion....but it's perfect for us. I am thankful we live in a good neighborhood (around the corner from my sister-in-law & her family) that offers so much!
7. I am thankful for the enjoyment I get from cooking and that I have the ability to do so. I had a good teacher and I am a Food TV junkie. I love the feeling of putting together a nice meal for my husband or entertaining for a group of friends & family.
8. I am thankful for the little things in life: A piece of chocolate...a sip of good wine...a cup of coffee on a chilly night...a good book...a hug & kiss from my hubby, etc.
9. I am thankful for the Internet, which allows me to keep in touch with much of my friends & family and reconnects me with old friends.
10. And lastly, I am thankful for the freedoms I have living in the USA...and I would like to say a special thank you to those who fight for & protect us, so that we can continue to enjoy living this way. They sacrifice so much of their lives so that we can be a free country and for that I am grateful!

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and that you got to spend some time with family & friends over the weekend. Everyone has something to be thankful for!

Hello October!

It's been a few weeks since my last entry. Work has been busy...life has been busier.

I heard a rumor that it's fall.... somewhere? Certainly not here. I miss fall. I miss the leaves. I miss the cooler weather. I miss pumpkins, Indian corn and apple cider. I miss wearing jeans & comfy sweaters & boots. I miss the smell of burning fireplaces.

My friends back in NJ keep torturing me with stories and pictures of apple picking, changing leaves, trips to Delicious Orchards and the purchase of new fall clothes. Living in FL is hard this time of year. Yes, it's still beach weather here...I can still hang out at the pool or spend the day on the water. And I know thousands of people around the country would rather be here this time of year than facing 40 degree weather....but it doesn't make me miss fall any less.

I adore the time of year where the cool sunny days are balmy enough to warm your skin and make you want to spend every minute outside. And where the evenings are cool enough to throw on a sweatshirt and snuggle up with a cup of hot chocolate or warm apple cider.

Eventually, it does get like that in FL....it just takes a little longer. I guess after months and months of what seems like an endless summer, I'm just anxious for it to get here. Hurry up already!

Time for some alphabet fun. Leave me a comment and I'll give you a letter. You’ll then have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter. After that, post this meme in your blog to give out letters of your own.

I was given B:

1. Bryan
2. Bailey & Boog (Allie's Nickname)
3. Bailey's Irish Cream
4. The Beach
5. Bon Jovi
6. Bath & Body Works/Bed, Bath & Beyond/Best Buy (figured I'd lump the shopping together)
7. Boating
8. Bless The Broken Road (Our first dance song at our wedding)
9. Blue Crabs
10. Blueberry Buckle (mom's recipe, of course)

If you would like to play, let me know by commenting below!
Thank you to Beth for giving me the letter B. :)

Company Sponsored Beer Pong

I have to admit, I have a pretty cool job. As I type this I am looking out the window at the Gulf of Mexico and beautiful St. Pete Beach. I am wrapping up a week at the beach for my company's annual user conference. I have spent the last four nights in a one bedroom condo with my own private balcony.

Entertaining over 300 customers for an entire week is exhausting, but there is alot of room for fun too. Being at the beach does make it better and helps us relax at the end of a long day (besides, our customers love it!) At each conference, we have one night where we put on a big event. This year it was a beach party...complete with a DJ, Wii, pool & darts, black light beach volleyball and.....BEER PONG. This was absolutely the highlight of the evening and on more than one occasion I heard "I want to work for your company!"

I certainly can't complain...we are a fun group.

I Remember

Tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. It's hard to believe that it's been seven years....it seems like just last year. Alot has happened in my life in those seven years, but the memories of that day are still fresh in my mind. It wasn't just an ordinary day for me. I wasn't among co-workers or friends or going on with my every-day life. It was the day I officially became a Floridian. I was starting a brand new life, in a brand new state, 1200 miles away from the only place I had ever called home when the world came to a screeching halt.

My mom and I were unpacking the few things I was able to bring down in my car. One of those things was a clock radio/CD player (I need to have music!). We were putting away the stuff we had bought at WalMart the day before, while waiting for the movers to arrive with my furniture and other things, when we heard the breaking news over the radio that a plane had hit the WTC.

We immediately stopped what we were doing and glued our ears to the radio. When the movers arrived, the first thing they took off the truck was my TV. Being from that area, they too wanted to see what was going on. By the time the TV was hooked up, the first tower had already fallen. We cried as we tried to get in touch with family and could not get through to anyone. Little did we know, my father was helping the passengers off the SeaStreak (the NYC commuter ferries which are located in the marina my parents keep their boat in). Some had no idea where they were sent...they were just told to get out of NYC. My uncle was assisting the Coast Guard, with his personal boat, do the same.

Later that week my mom had to rent a car to get home. We weren't sure when she would be able to get on a flight. My sister and friends sent me pictures from candlelight vigils they attended. And pictures of the smoke that billowed over the city for days later.

I can't quite describe how I felt in those weeks following. It was a cross between the excitement of starting something new and the emptiness of what had just happened to what I consider my home city. On top of that, the feeling that I was so far away from anyone and everyone who mattered, at the time. And so began my life in FL.

Give me Liberty, Or...

After much debate, my new car is.....a 2007 Jeep Liberty! The new baby came home with us tonight. I'm so excited that I can't sleep (it's 1:38AM) and I just want to play with the new car!

Oh...and my brother in law said I have to name it, so I am looking for suggestions!

We drove both vehicles tonight and even though I liked both cars, I have come to the conclusion that I just prefer driving a truck/SUV type vehicle more. Although I have always thought of the Libertys as a cute, fun little SUV....I did not set out to get one. In fact, I really thought I wanted a Sebring, which is the only reason I found the Liberty. Funny how things work out that way.

So tomorrow I get to clean out old Greenie and post it for sale on Craig's List. First person with $600 an a tow truck can have it!

Decisions...Decisions....

Earlier this week my car died (funeral services to be announced...). It's a long story, but basically the car needs more work than I am willing to put into it. I can't complain...the car has been very good to me through the years. I've had it for nearly 10 years and it is almost 160K miles on it. Up until this past 18 months, I've never had to do anything other than routine maintenance on it. Ok, there might be a small ding in the front from my fender bender seven years ago that I never got fixed, but the car ran like a champ!

It has safely taken me on many travels from Canada to the FL Keys. It has seen many highways and interstates. It was christened with a Cinco De Mayo to remember (thank you Sunny for puking in my new car!) It went to Woodstock in 99, moved me to FL in 2001 and has been to many a Nascar race from FL to Virginia. In recent years, I have kept it a little closer to home.

So now it is time for me to say goodbye (insert 'Taps' here), for tonight I go pick up my new car. There is only one problem....I haven't decided which to get yet. I have it narrowed down to two: a 2007 Jeep Liberty or a 2007 Chrysler Sebring. Both have less thank 8K miles - the closest to brand new I have ever come! They are both at the same dealership. We went to test drive both the other night, but the Sebring was not there, as it is being used as a demo car for one of the managers who had the day off. We drove the Liberty and really liked it. So tonight we are going to drive the Sebring and make a decision from there. There is no doubt in my mind I'll like it...its too similar to my car now...or my old car. I am making a pros and cons list to help me decide....

Pros for the Jeep/Cons for the Sebring:

• The Jeep is fun to drive & I prefer to drive a truck/SUV over a car
• Cheaper insurance
• Towing capability
• Plenty of room to now take my vehicle on road trips
• Great for the dogs
• Safer vehicle - The Liberty got a 5 star crash test rating!
• Bryan prefers the Jeep

Pros for the Sebring/Cons for the Jeep:

• The Sebring is 1K cheaper than the Jeep (i.e. lower payments)
• Better gas mileage
• It's silver...as opposed to the Jeep being white (which I typically don't like, but atleast the black trim on the Jeep makes it tolerable)
• I LOVE the new body style of the Sebring, which was introduced in 07
• We already have one SUV....we really don't NEED two

So there is my dilemma! Both are affordable and I have no doubt that I would keep either for a long time. I'm just like that with my cars. I guess we'll figure it out tonight. Either way...I'm coming home with a new car!! Now if only I could find someone else to make the payments....